Rey was the pilot's wife. She was Poe Dameron's wife for some time now and it hadn't registered into her system. The concept of being in a union with someone was still unfamiliar to her. It was strange to be someone's anything and for her to have someone for that matter. It first started as admiring each other from a far and then innocent flirtation and somehow, it turned into a heat of the moment kiss. It followed along with confusion but wanting each other more that they decided to see where it was taking them. They had sort of dated before they were married - sort of.

Poe had never specified what they were but they saw each other constantly whenever they weren't separated by their roles. Rey didn't mind though, it created less attachment and complication. Rey was a wild and independent soul while Poe was a soul that could never be at the same place too long or with anyone for that matter. It made sense for them not to want to be in a serious relationship. They were both free to date other people and it was great for the both of them until she became pregnant.

"Are you sure?" he blinked several times as he rubbed his forehead. He shifted back in forth, trying to keep a hold of himself from trembling. "Are you sure it's mine -

"Yes," she said without a doubt. "I never did - you know," she paused and became flustered. She took a deep breath before proceeding. "With anyone else besides you," she said uncomfortably. She dated a few guys along with him but the most she did with the others was kiss.

He blinked several times and exhaled slowly. Having a child wasn't part of his plan let alone being committed to someone. "How long have you've been pregnant?" he asked calmly.

"Three and a half months," she admitted. "I was in denial for a while about it - it's kind of too late for me to do anything about it now." If she wasn't in denial she could have stopped it but she was too far along. But the other thing was; she wanted to keep the baby. She wanted to give everything to her child and love the child as much as she could. Rey had no a idea how to raise a child but she was going to try. She pursed her lips and felt her stomach churned. She had meant to tell him earlier but he was gone for a month and didn't return until yesterday. "I meant to tell you," she said quickly, trying to make him feel better. "But you were gone for quite some time now."

Poe ran his fingers through his hair. "I understand," his eyes went to her stomach. She was wearing a loose shirt to hide the evidence but he knew soon she wouldn't be able to. "Do you plan to keep the child?"

Rey's eyebrows furrowed but she realized then that he was asking her if she was going to give her child away to someone else. "Of course. I'm not going to give he or she away," Rey responded quickly as if it was an obvious question. She found herself laughing but she silenced herself at the sight of his pale face.

"I want to be there for our child - if you let me," he asked politely. There was hesitance in his tone - he wasn't sure if he had a say in any of it.

She blinked, with her mouth slightly opened. She didn't expect him to be offering to be part of her child's life. She would have understood if he didn't want to. "Yes - if you want -

"I do," Poe said, softness in his voice. Immediately, he knelt on the ground and took her hand. "I want to marry you - I want to support you and our child. Will you marry me?" He was a charismatic man with a skill to fabricate sweet words on the spot but for the first time she sensed discomfort and clumsiness in his tone.

She rejected him. Rey didn't want him to be with her for the sake of principles but the third time he proposed, she accepted. He grew on her like he always did. It was hard to say no with the charm of his. She knew very well she accepted his proposal for the sake of the baby. She wanted her child to have a family - something she had always chased for.

She was certain that he proposed to her for the same reasons as well and told herself not to be fooled by her emotions. There was no romantic love with them and she knew very well he didn't want to be married or have a family before any of this. They both wanted to be free and disconnected to everything but the air until this. What they felt for one another was merely physical attraction and her admiration for him, the pilot.

They decided to keep her pregnancy underneath the table and so they married right away. When anyone asked why the hasty wedding, Poe would respond in a smooth, relaxing tone of his and say 'With our jobs - you don't know what will happen and I want to live life with no regrets. I want to hold on to the ones that matter.'

He was a master with words that she almost believes it if it wasn't for the lower abdominal pains.

They bought a home just two miles from the Resistance base. It was a small home, quaint and humble. It was a very lovely home with aged wooden floors and fresh white paint. "Until the the child is born, you shouldn't be out fighting or going on missions," Poe said as he helped her unpack.

"Why?" she asked with a hint of attitude. She was growing weary from being told what to do. She was so used to doing whatever she wanted and to be anyone's wife was tiring her.

"I don't want you or the baby to get hurt," he said calmly, ignoring her insolence. Poe placed his hand on her belly. She was getting bigger but it was still unnoticeable with her loose clothing. She was a thin thing, underweight but with the pregnancy, it was making her fuller and more connected to her frame. People only assumed she was gaining muscle. But Rey and Poe both knew that she'll get bigger and they won't be able to hide it. "You're in a critical stage now. We can't risk it."

Rey flinched from the word; we. It was a foreign word to her. The only word she knew was loneliness. She knew he was right but she had to work to make money. "But I need to though. I'll find a less labor required job -

"It's alright," he assured. "I make enough money to support the both of us - the three of us," he chuckled fondly.

"I still want to contribute though," she said, her temper getting the best of her. Rey didn't like the idea of relying on someone. She didn't like the idea of being someone's little wife.

Poe moved his hand away from her stomach and touched her cheek lightly. He chuckled softly, his soft eyes smiling along with him. He always liked that about her, her spunk. She was a strong and independent woman and he wouldn't want to change that. "Very well then, just make sure the job doesn't endanger your health." Poe lowered himself down to kiss the top of her head.

She nodded stiffly, finding herself blushing.

He was a good husband to her, supportive and attentive. He would be gone for days or weeks from work but he came back it was like he had never left. Poe would do all he could to try to make up for lost time.

He was faithful to her and she found herself falling for him all over again.

They managed to pass their infant daughter as a premature child. Their daughter was small, roughly six pounds. She looked just like her father; soft wave curls, an olive complexion, and deep creased eyes. The only part of Rey was in her smile. Rey named her Ava. Poe was unable to be there to witness the birth of his child due to work but once the mission ended, he came rushing home. He finds her, holding their crying daughter in her arms as she paced back and forth. Rey looked frail and worn out. It had been days since she had given birth and Poe couldn't help but to feel guilty. He wasn't able to be there for Rey and this was the first time seeing his daughter. His daughter was a couple days old now - he should have been there when she was born.

It was the middle of the night now, he had just entered with his uniform still on.

"Would you like to hold her?" Rey asked as she attempted to comfort their daughter. She had been taking care of Ava on her own for days now and managed to sleep only a few hours a day. Rey's eyes were laced with dark circles and her hair was sticking to her skin. She was distressed and tired.

Poe nodded, immediately taking off his gloves and helmet. "Did you feed her?" he asked as he gently took Ava from her mother's arms. He had more experience holding babies than Rey did but their daughter was still crying. His eyes locked on to Ava. A smile appeared on his face, marveling how tiny and beautiful she was. Small hands and half a stub of finger nails. Ava looked exactly like him, there was no doubt about it.

"Yes and I changed her diaper too," she yawned weakly. Rey had no idea what to do but she loved Ava enough to keep trying. It took Rey a while to learn how to breastfeed Ava.

He rocked her and hummed and before Rey knew it, Ava was asleep.

"How did you do that?" she asked with an incredulous look on her face.

He chuckled and patted her cheek. "Ah young padawan, you have so much to learn," he said in a tone of a wise master.

She crinkled her nose.

"How was giving birth?" he asked. He doesn't apologize whatsoever, he had already done that on the communicator a dozen times. He wasn't the person to sulk over an issue for too long and she rather liked it that way.

"It wasn't that bad," she lied, letting out a laugh.

Poe shot her an expression of disbelief. "Come now," he said as he stroked Ava's cheek. Her skin was soft and smooth, he couldn't help but to grin and admire her.

"Painful. Absolutely painful. I was in labor for eleven hours and had to be stitched up," Rey admitted then. She blinked from the memory of blood everywhere and the shooting pain. It was a horrible experience and it made it worse that he wasn't there. "We were kept for an extra day for the doctors to monitor us but she's worth it," Rey said fondly. She leaned and kissed her daughter's head.

He smiled at Rey. He was proud of her and how she was able to things on her own. Past women he had been with were entirely dependent on him for everything and he couldn't give him everything when half of his life was dedicated to the Resistance and the skies. Rey was understanding and flexible with the ability to adapt and survive. He admired how independent she was. She was just like him, free and bounded to nothing with a love of flying. It was the reason why he was attracted her. "I'm glad that the both of you are safe and made it just fine without me," he kissed Rey on the cheek. He looked at her and then at Ava and back at Rey. "She looks like you," he whispered.

Rey broke out in laughter. She didn't want false statements. "No, she doesn't. She looks entirely like you. Eyebrows and cheekbones and all," she squeezed his nose. Ava had his nose too.

"She's beautiful because of you."

Rey didn't expect being a pilot's wife to be hard but it was. She stayed home taking care of their baby girl while he was always gone for work. He had no control in when he was called in for missions. It was always out of nowhere and he would be gone for days, sometimes weeks - and even months. And when he did come back, she would be lucky if he was home for a few days before getting called in again. Most of the time he was only there for a day. It was heartbreaking to watch him leave and wait for him, not knowing when he will come back or if he'll come back. It scared her to see him come with injuries but still going back to work. When he was gone all she did was worry about his safety and missed him terribly. She hated being attached to someone but she couldn't help it. Poe was barely around and when he was there, she felt very happy.

It made it more difficult having a child.

He was missing so much of their daughter's life.

Their daughter was nine months now. So far he had missed Ava's birth, her first crawl, and now her first words.

She didn't expect her to be the kind of wife to wait around for her husband and cry when he left. But she ended up doing all of those things. She didn't expect to be a stay at home wife but it felt right to do so. She expected herself to work and be a mother but it was different when it actually happened. She couldn't stand the idea of someone looking after her child and missing her daughter's first milestones. Rey didn't expect to be a wife for that matter or to be part of any domesticated setting.

She didn't expect to be a pilot's wife and put herself into so much emotional distress. She didn't want to be attached but things happened. Rey loved him and being a mother meant she couldn't follow him or join him like she could before. It killed her to watch her child grow and Poe wasn't around to share it with her. BB-8 kept her company however while her friends were off to missions, but it wasn't the same.

"I have to leave in the morning," he whispered to her. They were in bed together, her head on his bare chest. It was night and Ava was sleeping peacefully in her crib.

Her eyes were burning but she bit her lip, preventing herself from crying in front of him. She doesn't like to cry in front of him - she didn't like to show any weakness. To her what she felt was petty weakness - he had to leave to support them and she didn't want to make it any more difficult for the both of them. She wanted to be strong. "Do you know when you'll come back?" she asked, swallowing hard.

Poe exhaled and shrugged slightly. "I don't know," he sighed. His absences were getting longer as the war went on.

The words broke her. Tears came out but she remained silent, desperately hoping he wouldn't notice.

"It's okay to cry," he said, sensing her tears. He wiped her tears. "It's okay to miss me. I miss you too when I'm gone."

"I feel selfish for doing so," she bit the words out. She was crying even more. "This is your career - what you've been working for your whole life. You're helping so many people and it's selfish of me to miss you." She knew it was selfish of her to want him to stay.

"I don't think it is." Poe kissed her head, coaxing her. There were times when he wanted to give it up and live a normal life but his love to protect people kept him going. It was the exact thing that kept her going as well. He hated himself since the pregnancy - he hated that he was keeping her from doing whatever she wanted. To fight for the cause. To explore. To continue her Jedi training. Now she was raising their child on their own and taking time off her training until their daughter was old enough.

"It is."

"I'm the one that's been selfish - I should be home with you and Ava." Every time he saw Ava, she was always growing up and changing. She used to be this little ball of a thing and now she's crawling about and learning to speak words. He should be there for her at home and not fighting and putting his life in danger. "I should be -

"No. Don't say that. I don't want you to give up what you love."

"Well I love you and I love our daughter."

"Yes but you also love your job and people," she countered.

He exhaled and his eyes went to the ceiling. "Maybe there is a way we can have a compromise," he murmured to himself. He looked at her then. "Let's sleep okay? I'll talk to General about it tomorrow."

Rey wakes up, finding Poe laying next to her, holding Ava in his arms. Ava was giggling as her father tickled her. Poe smiled to himself and continued to tickle her. Rey waited for her eyes to adjust before saying anything. She wasn't sure if this was real or a cruel dream. "You're here," Rey said in disbelief. She found herself smiling at the sight of Ava bonding with her father.

"I requested for a couple days off. I just want to stay here a little longer."

A/n: to be continued