Author's Note: Sorry for the slow update, but real life is a busy whirl these days! I've been more able to manage reading than writing (gone on a bit of a bent of reading AU Cassian/Jyn stories – so who knows what I'll come up with there). This is it for this one - turning back to my other WIPs shortly!

This wanders close to being "Mature," but I'm staying with "Teen." Gets a little frisky, though.

Not Connections Series and not Pilots and Professors. Disclaimer per usual – I do not own Star Wars or any aspect of the SW universe; just a fan with an idea. No profit here, just fun for me.

An hour later, Rey is still glued to Poe's side, her hand held tight in his. They'd stayed on the platform ladder for a while after their heated kissing had broken apart, just standing there with their hands joined and their foreheads pressed together. He'd hesitantly asked her if what happened with the first smuggler, the one he'd killed on the ridge, had bothered her. To his relief, she'd promised him that it hadn't, hugging him close as if to prove it.

When they'd finally come down, Finn was waiting. After reminding Rey that he'd told her he didn't want to have to watch them making out, he'd asked Poe why a pilot could neutralize a target the way Poe had. He'd responded quietly that sometimes pilots get shot down. Then he'd noted that his dad, former Special Forces ground troops, a Pathfinder, had given him one condition for letting him go to the Academy for flight school: Poe had to prove first that he could protect himself.

It hadn't been lost on Rey that Poe had gripped his mother's ring tight in his hand when he said that. That was when she'd tucked herself into his side. Lando probably noticed, too, if the squeeze he'd given Poe's shoulder as he returned to the cruiser's cockpit had been any indication. She can also tell that Poe is on an adrenaline crash. She is too, to some extent, but she senses it acutely in Poe – she's never felt him so out of sorts before.

They're taking a slow road home – they don't think that the cruiser back at Tatooine had been First Order, but just in case, it seems wise to make multiple jumps back to the current base. After the first one that resulted in no one following, Lando had shoo'ed them all off of the bridge. He said that he'll let them know when he needs help, but Rose and Finn insisted on staying with him, at least for the time being. BB-8 stayed with R2, in a charging area for droids.

Rey and Poe let themselves be dismissed. Poe readily admitted that he's worn out, and Rey nodded in agreement. Without discussing it, they'd gone and collected their things from the shuttle and found a medium-sized room on the deck with the crew quarters. It's probably meant for married officers, as it has a private refresher and a slightly larger bed than the pairs of single bunks that are in all but about five rooms, clearly the leadership space on the ship.

Before they settle into their room, they go grab a snack in the kitchen area, along with a bottle of water. Rey muses briefly, wondering how Lando got this ship, which is clearly kitted out with linens, towels, and food, but then she decides that she's all right with not knowing. As if reading her mind, Poe said, "I'd ask Lando where he got this ship, but I think ignorance may be bliss in this case."

Their ride back will be almost twice as long as the trip to Tatooine had been. Rey is all right with that. She is looking forward to some quiet time with Poe. After they'd left the bridge, Lando had comm'ed Rey privately, saying that they had twelve or thirteen standard hours to rest – it was said with a surprising lack of innuendo – it was instead laced liberally with concern. His last words over the comm had been, "Make him sleep, Rey. He needs to sleep. His dad would kick my ass if I didn't say something about how tired he looks."

Examining Poe as he threw his clothes back into his pack on the shuttle, she'd realized that Lando was right. Poe had looked fine when they landed on Tatooine, but it had been a long day, and a rather emotional one, too. She's tired as well, so she didn't fight Lando at all. She notices his second bag as they leave the shuttle, the one C'ai had given him before they left. When she asked, he explained that it was flight suits for both of them if they'd needed to pilot the X-Wings back. The fact that he'd thought of that for her makes her warm a little from the inside.

When they get to their room and put their things down, Rey tells Poe to take the fresher first, and she knows that he's hit a wall when he doesn't argue with her. She pulls out her clothes while he's in there, smiling warmly when she finds his scarf in her bag, burying her nose in the soft fabric and inhaling his scent again. She thinks to herself that he's never getting that scarf back.

He comes out of the fresher after a fairly short time, with wet hair, a towel around his shoulders, and dressed in his sleep clothes from the night before. He's towel-drying his hair when she drops a kiss on the corner of his mouth before going into the small attached space. It's warm in there from the quick shower he took.

Feeling gritty all over, she sheds her clothes and turns the hot water on, feeling terribly grateful that she can use a regular shower instead of a sonic. She sighs happily as she steps under the spray, but after a moment, her mind goes to Poe. She's worried about him – their kissing on the platform notwithstanding, he has been quiet since he landed on the cruiser. She washes up quickly, and in minutes, she has a towel wrapped around her hair while she slips on her sleep clothes. After cursorily drying her hair, she steps back into the room, comb in hand.

She's a little worried but not surprised to find Poe sitting up in the bed, back against the wall and legs pulled up. The lights in the room are off save for a small one over the bed. His arms rest loosely on his knees, and he looks lost in thought. She comes over to the bed, he doesn't even look up until she gets close and says, "Flyboy, are you all right?"

He sighs then, looking up at her and raking a hand through his still-damp hair. His breath catches a little at the sight of her, flushed pink from the shower. She's holding out her comb to him, and he takes it, watching as she drops onto the bed, sitting cross-legged with her back to him. He mirrors her position (his knees only slightly protesting), scooting up behind her to comb through her damp hair for her. She makes a happy sound, and he can see how relaxed she is. It's actually highly flattering to him that she trusts him enough to be so comfortable with her back to him like this.

He gently works through a few tangles, methodically pulling the comb through her long locks – it's grown a fair amount since he met her, going below her shoulders now. Something occurs to him that he wants to clear up. "Sweetheart, just so you know, my mom could take care of herself, too. I know you saw me grab her ring earlier. The reason it was important to Dad is that we did almost lose Mom that way when I was a baby. She'd been able to defend herself – she came back beat all to hell, though, and it scared the kriff out of Dad. She didn't die in a crash or a battle, though. It was something else."

He doesn't offer what it was, and she doesn't push. She's not sure what to make of his quiet about his mom, but she also knows that he'll likely tell her about it when and if he's ever ready. Despite the fact that his mom died before Rey was even born, she can sense that it's like an open wound in his soul. She just nods in response. "Thank you for telling me, Poe."

After that, they're silent for a while, but, still gently combing through her hair, he eventually says, "I know we didn't talk about it, and I'm feeling a little presumptuous, sweetheart. You don't have to share quarters with me if you don't want to."

She turns her head, looking shyly at him over her shoulder. "I want to. But if you want me to find another room, I can."

He shakes his head. "No. I don't. Not at all. I want you with me."

He'd been a little worried, but her answering smile is like the sun shining. She blushes a little and admits, "I'm not sure anyone has ever said that to me."

Setting the comb aside, he leans forward and wraps his arms around her. She responds by curling into his embrace and letting him pull her into his lap. He leans back against the wall. "Sweetheart, that just kills me. I'm really sorry."

"It's not your fault, Poe," she responds softly.

"I know, but it doesn't make me feel any better about it. No kid should have to grow up the way you did, or the way Finn did, for that matter. Hell, at least Rose had Paige." He sighs, brushing his lips across her temple.

"You lost your mom, though." She snuggles closer to him.

He closes his eyes. "That hurt like hell, Rey, but I had my dad, a home, more than enough food to eat, safety. I was never adrift, you know? I was never alone – I even had Leia, too. I wouldn't dare to compare our experiences. I have too much respect for you for that."

She nuzzles her face into his neck. "And that's another thing no one's ever said to me."

With that, he moves them so that she's on her back on the bed with him hovering over her, his weight on his forearms, his body caging hers. He looks at her with such wonder tinged with something infinitely warm that it's completely nonthreatening. "I just don't know how that's possible. I have you at a level with Leia and my dad, if that tells you anything."

He leans down, kissing her deeply but not pushing it to a place of heat. He wants her, but he also doesn't want this to go too fast. It's important to him that she be in the lead on where they go with this – he doesn't want to overwhelm her or pressure her, and he's afraid it might if he admits how he feels about her, what he wants with her.

When her hands begin to wander, he moves off of her, not wanting this to get out of control the way they almost had in their bunk on the shuttle. She makes an irritated noise when he does, but he just kisses her cheek and moves to his side, pulling her back flush to his front and reaching up to turn off the light.

Rey is confused, but she's trying her best to hide the emotion from Poe. She can tell that his feelings for her are strong, but she can't pinpoint what they are. Based on what happened after they sparred and again when they went into their bunk to change, she thought that he wanted her. But now, when they have time and privacy, he seems to have banked that desire back.

She can tell that he's still awake, and she somehow knows that he knows she's also still awake. She turns in his arms. After taking a few deep breaths and hoping he doesn't notice how her heart rate has gone up, she asks, "Poe, why did you pull back?" In the low light of the room, she can see him blink in surprise. When he doesn't say anything, she asks quietly, "Do you not want me?"

That snaps him out of his surprise. "Of course I want you, sweetheart. Force, Rey, I can't stop thinking about you most of the time. But I also don't want to rush this. I care too much about you to push you into things we're not ready for – I'm not willing to risk our relationship by pushing. If I let things go the way they did earlier, there won't be anything to stop us, but I want to let you be in control here."

She looks thoughtful for a moment, and in the quiet of that moment, she realizes that his heart rate is as high as hers. Hoping he can see her in the darkness, she arches an eyebrow at him. He blinks again, and she says, "Are you ready for it?"

He inhales sharply at the question. "Rey – " He begins to speak, but she wants to control this, just as he'd said.

Using surprise and maybe a tiny assist from the Force, she surges forward, tipping him over onto his back. She then moves over him, caging his body with hers as he had done to her just moments earlier. "Are you? Because I am. But if we are going to be ready, it has to be both of us ready, doesn't it?"

Poe looks up at her, speechless. He's not sure what he expected, but it wasn't this. She looks down at him, and he apparently stays silent for what is likely too long, as he sees uncertainty begin to creep into her expression. He isn't all right with that, and he is entirely ready. He reaches up with his hands and presses her shoulders back. Her face falls, but he isn't done. He sits up quickly, and her arms go around his neck as the new position presses their hips together.

"If you're ready, I sure as hell am too." Without another word, he crushes his lips to hers, his hands sliding down to her rear and gripping her tight, pulling her down as he tilts his hips up. She gasps softly at the hardness beneath her. He breaks the kiss, leaning back enough to see her face. "Are you sure, sweetheart? And wait, did you get a shot from the doc back at base?"

"I did. She said it was standard." He kisses her again, and when he leans back, she breathes out, "And I am definitely ready, but I don't know what to do." The last part is said softly, her eyes casting downward.

He slides his hands up her back, moving her shirt up as he does. She lets him pull it over her head, and he drops it on the floor next to the bed. She then does the same to him, pulling his shirt off and dropping it to the floor. After he takes a moment to memorize her body as if he'll never get to see it again, he leans forward, pressing his bare chest to hers. She gasps at the contact, and he drops his head, sucking gently at the pulse point on her neck.

She lets out a breathy, keening sound. Against her skin, he murmurs, "You just do what feels right, sweetheart. Don't be afraid to say whether you like something or not, and ask me if you aren't sure about something. And we can stop any time you want. Just say the word."

Nodding, she leans down, finding his lips with hers again. As she grinds down on his lap, gasping softy through their kiss, his last coherent thought for a while is to thank the Force for letting them find each other and for making him pay attention for once.

######

They don't emerge from their bunk for over thirteen hours. When they do, they're both wearing relatively stupid grins and are almost outlandishly relaxed. Rey also has his scarf back around her shoulders. At a minimum, Rose and Lando very clearly know what they've been up to on sight. The telltale bruises they both sport on their collarbones are another dead giveaway. Finn gives them a funny look, too, but Rose drags him away before he seems to sort it out.

They shoo Lando off to rest, thanking him for giving them so much time. They did both sleep a very long time, that rest bookended with activities that were decidedly more lively. They settle into seats on the cruiser's bridge. After a lascivious wink and a rather pointed, "Looks like you got him to sleep. Well played, Little Jedi. Well played," Lando disappears towards the nicer bunks.

Poe looks at the controls. "Looks like we have about six hours to go. Making a little better time than we thought." He looks at the notes Lando made on a data pad. He's glad to see that Lando had taken turns with Rose and Finn at the helm, so they'd also gotten some intermittent rest.

They've also dropped out of light speed several times, no one following them. He's surprised that they jumped so many times without him waking up. He glances at Rey's back as she looks out the large window, and he can't help but grin. He'd already been tired. Their lovemaking had been like a damned sedative for him, and he hadn't stirred until she'd started kissing his neck after they'd been asleep for eleven hours.

She turns, sensing his eyes on her. After returning his smile, she comes over to the piloting station he's using. When she gets to him, she leans down, kissing him as thoroughly as she pleases, and she feels him smile against her lips. She then sits in the seat next to his, slipping her boots off and putting her feet in his lap. He grins at the move, rubbing the bare skin of her leg between her sock and the edge of her pants.

Leaning back in her seat, she says, "Tell me about Yavin 4?"

He glances at her again, and the smile he gives her this time is soft and affectionate. He then launches into trying to paint a mental picture of his home for her, promising to show her holos of it when they get back to base. He then moves on to stories about his childhood, and surprisingly, she finds a few entertaining ones of her own to share.

By the time they're closing in on the base, they've moved on to tales from the Academy. When Lando, Rose, and Finn enter the bridge, Rey, feet still in Poe's lap, is laughing so hard that she has tears running down her face. She gasps out, "But wait, how did the tooka-cat get your underwear in the first place, and why in karking hell would you climb a tree to get them back?"

Lando leans against the console, making them both jump. "I'm guessing Corellian Rum was involved? Our boy here had a bit of a taste for it back in the day, just like his dad."

Poe grins, and Finn and Rose get closer, both of them grinning as well. He shrugs. "Well, Lando, it stands to reason. I mean, according to Dad, Corellian Rum was the cause of my conception." Lando snorts, and Poe smirks at Rey. "I mean, it's not like the timing was ideal – I was born right in the middle of the first Rebellion."

She rolls her eyes. "So the rum made you climb a tree butt naked?"

Rose laughs at that so much that she snorts, and once he's stops blinking in surprise, Finn starts too. Poe shrugs again. "Hey, it was a lot of rum. And I bet a friend that I could get them back." He lifts an eyebrow at Rey. "I never take a bet I don't believe I can win."

"And did you? Win the bet, that is?" His smile is infectious, and she returns it, adoration evident in her eyes.

"Yep. And the tooka-cat followed me home. Maz eventually took him in. She has a soft spot for strays, as I'm sure we all know." Poe turns more serious as the hyperspace alarm goes off. Lando, Finn, and Rose all take seats, and moments later, Poe is talking with command at the base.

Together, Poe and Lando land the cruiser near the base, and Leia comes out with Connix, and C'ai to greet them. Lando beats all of them off the ship, and he has Leia wrapped in a hug moments later. They stand like that for a long time, and Rey and Poe can both see that Leia is more than a little choked up. Rey tucks herself into Poe's side, taking his hand and entwining their fingers.

As Rose and Finn lead C'ai into the cruiser, Connix approaches Rey and Poe, giving Leia and Lando some space. Rey smiles at the woman, who doesn't seem to notice how she holds Poe's hand tight in her own. Rey says, "Good to see you, Lieutenant. Where's Chewie?"

Connix gives her a quick smile. "Once we heard from Lando that you were only six hours out, he got ready and left about an hour ago. He is making a quick run to meet Maz. Several of the new pilot trainees went with him. He'll be back tomorrow."

"Oh." Rey frowns, looking at Poe. "And just like that, I'm homeless for the night."

Poe squeezes her hand and is about to respond when Connix goes on, "I have space in my room, Rey. The base is actually almost full up – were cleaning things out as we find new space, but we got some new recruits yesterday."

Rey blinks. "No need. I don't want to impose."

"It's fine! I don't mind." Connix is peering up at the huge ship, completely oblivious to the slightly trapped-looking expression on Rey's face.

Poe isn't, though, and by the way she looks up, he can see that Leia isn't either. Poe tries again. "Kay, that's great of you, but Rey has a place to stay."

There must be something in Poe's voice, because Connix finally looks closely at them, her eyes widening at the sight of their joined hands. "Oh!" The woman scurries back a bit. "I'll just go see to the fighters." She retreats and follows the others into the cruiser.

"So, seems that she does actually like you in that way, Commander." Leia's voice gets their attention, and Rey tenses a little while Poe groans and rolls his eyes.

"Yes ma'am, it does seem that she does." Poe decides that trying to pretend that it's any other way would be fruitless and might honestly confuse Rey, something he is loathe to do. He can already tell that she's gone a little tense, and he can feel a bit of apprehension from her.

Rey moves closer to his side. She knows how important Leia's approval is to Poe, and she's suddenly worried that the general won't approve of them being together. Leia just smiles, though. "Rey, Lando says he delivered the lightsaber?"

Nodding, Rey motions to it on her belt. "He did. I'm so grateful, General. And it feels even better in my hands than Anakin's did."

Leia nods. "I never knew Ben Kenobi personally, but he did everything he could to protect Luke and me. My father, Bail Organa, that is, always said Ben was the best person he'd ever known, the truest." Taking a deep breath, Leia says, "Chewie took the new pilots with him because Maz managed to rustle up five more X-Wings and two A-Wings. C'ai will get one of the X-Wings that's coming."

Poe furrows his brow, but Leia goes on, "The two in there," she motions to the cruiser, "Belong to the two of you."

"Me?" Rey blinks in surprise, and Poe laughs at her wide-eyed expression.

"You, Rey." Leia smiles kindly at her. "But, given what appears to be a change in your relationship status, I need to know that you can follow his orders." She motions to Poe with her head.

Poe can't help but hold his breath a little, given the push and pull they'd had on Tatooine. But she surprises him. "Yes. I can."

"Very well, then. We can also see if we can mod R2 to go in the T-70, if you want him."

Rey bites her lip. "General, he was Master Luke's. You don't have to – "

"Luke would want it this way, Rey. I know he would." Leia reaches out and squeezes Rey's arm. "R2 can work with BB-8 to get up to speed on the T-70s."

"Thank you, Leia." Rey finally releases Poe's hand, surging forward and hugging Leia.

The older woman gives Rey a squeeze before stepping back. "Commander," she turns to Poe, "Congratulations. You'll have a squadron again very soon. And the mechanics are waiting to give your X-Wing its paint job."

He grins at that. "Thank you, Leia."

Lando and Leia move towards the cruiser then. Poe looks at Rey. "We need to go move our new ships."

Rey shakes her head in disbelief. "I can't believe Leia just gave me my own fighter."

"She's right to do so, sweetheart. I give you a week, maybe two, and you'll be as good as me. I have a feeling that together, we may be pretty scary." He reaches up and brushes her hair out of her eyes.

She grins. "But you have to teach me those turns. That was amazing."

"Happy to," he grins back, "But we need to get R2 ready for the T-70s first."

"I can't believe she just let me have Master Luke's droid. Do you think he'll like me, want to do it?" Rey looks up at him, clearly worried.

The fact that she wants a droid to like her, that she's worried about it, endears her even more to him than he can say. "He'll love you, Rey. It's kind of hard not to."

The last bit of what he said comes out more seriously than he intended, and she looks up quickly. He can tell that she's trying to process what he said when her eyes widen. She leans in and kisses him soundly, clinging tight to him.

He gives as good as he gets, wrapping one arm around her waist and cupping her face with his other hand. After a fair amount of time, they break the kiss, standing still with their foreheads pressed together. After several moments of companionable silence, Rey bumps his nose with hers and says, "It's kind of hard not to love you too, Flyboy."

He kisses her again at that. "Come on, sweetheart. Let's go move our ships." He warms at that thought – having an X-Wing again has weirdly restored some of his hope, some of his confidence that they can win this. A thought occurs to him. "Maybe once we have more pilots and fighters, Leia will let us slip away for a few days. I really want my dad to meet you."

"I'd like that." They start to walk into the cruiser, and Poe's hand goes to her lower back again. "Poe? Can I ask you for something?"

"Anything, sweetheart." He gives her a curious look.

"Can I stay with you in your quarters even after Chewie gets back with the Falcon? I promise I don't take up much space." She looks up at him hopefully. "I actually sleep when you're with me. You may be the only person who has ever made me feel safe enough to sleep well."

"It's either that, or I move in with you on the Falcon, sweetheart, and I don't think Chewie would be on board. And honestly, I'm not sure about those porgs." He grins.

"Oh, they're adorable. But they do chew on your stuff. So your quarters are definitely a better idea."

"Agreed." He pauses. "Rey?"

"Yes?" She looks at him.

"Thank you."

"For what?" She tilts her head, obviously a little confused.

"For, well, everything. For saving us on Crait, for staying with us, for being here, for caring about a cause that's so new to you." He shrugs. "For giving me a chance."

The warm emotion coming from him nearly overwhelms her, and she reaches out and cups his face like he'd done to her a moment ago. "You're welcome, but you don't have to thank me for anything, Poe. And honestly, I knew I was going to give you a chance the first time you fought me hard enough to take me down when we were sparring."

She blushes a little, and he finds himself loving her a little more with every word. With a half-smile, he shakes his head. "Who knew that having a Jedi regularly kick my ass would turn out this well?" She laughs hard at that, and they head inside, hands tight together.