Poe Dameron hasn't had very pleasant experiences involving the Force thus far in his life.

The first time he'd seen it, really seen it being used was, unfortunately for him, several months ago in Kylo Ren's interrogation room. And that had been…fucking terrible.

That masked demon had split Poe's mind open and had taken what he'd wanted with no regard for anyone or anything beyond his own needs. It was the first time Poe had considered the First Order as truly evil. And maybe it's a good thing most Force users have died out over time, if they can do things like that.

But this display of the Force is decidedly not evil.

In fact, despite being intrigued, Poe mostly feels deeply uncomfortable at being here, witnessing this.

Kylo Ren's hand is enveloped in blue, the glow stretching and moving across Rey's wounds until it's not so much a glow but an actual thing, a weighted light sinking into the ruined skin of her stomach.

Poe hears things he shouldn't.

"Please, Rey." Kylo Ren isn't pleading with the Jedi, he's begging. As if this is the end of the road for him otherwise. "Please." But maybe he's not just begging her but begging everything. Life, the Force, Rey. Kylo Ren himself, even.

Poe slides a step backward.

The color of the blue deepens and there's a hum in the air. Ren groans with the effort of whatever it is he's doing, forehead shining with sweat. He hunches over Rey's body, as if he can curve himself into her spirit. "Don't die," he gasps, and then, as a strangled, determined after thought, "but either way I will find you."

C'ai and Mattias are beginning to stir, each wincing at the brightness of the light. And really Poe should raise a hand to shield his eyes, but he can't. Can't rip his gaze away from the sight before him. He feels, somehow, that this is a defining moment in time. A moment so potent that he'll look at his life as before this moment, and then after.

The light grows until even Poe knows that it's not so much light as it is the Force.

And then there's a moan from Rey. Not a pained moan, however. It reminds Poe of the kind of moan Connix might make when he's trying to rouse her from bed. It's the moan of someone awakening.

Kylo Ren stands stiffly next to Rey's sleeping form, arms crossed over his chest and glowering at the floor. Every time Poe shifts his own stance the other man pins him with a pointed, threatening look.

Really, it's ridiculous.

Poe had sent Mattias and C'ai away as soon as he realized that Kylo Ren isn't a direct threat. For now. That could all change as soon as Rey wakes back up, and as the leader aboard this ship Poe knows it's his duty to keep an eye on Ren. And he's probably going to die because of it if he doesn't finagle this situation just right.

He tells Mattias to tell Finn to tell Chewbacca not to follow their original flight plan. And now they're in some random system with the Supreme Leader of the First Order, their greatest enemy, hovering over Rey and avoiding eye contact with Poe.

As soon as Poe hears footsteps coming he knows it's Finn. Honestly, he's surprised Finn has managed to keep his distance for this long.

Sure enough, Finn turns a corner with Rose on his heels, looking nervous and half-panicked. He stills when he sees Rey, eyes not taking in the hulking man standing beside her cot.

"Rey!" Finn's gaze settles on her stomach, which is gnarled and scar twisted but closed and no longer bleeding. Fixed. Whole. And Poe can't believe the man who did it is the same man who tortured him, who murdered Han Solo. The Force is strange business. "She's okay!"

Finn makes to move toward Rey's cot, probably intending to grab her hand and hold it, but Kylo Ren immediately steps into his path, effectively blocking Rey from view.

And Finn…Finn decides that now is the moment to show courage against his former leader. "Move," he snaps, tone low. Poe would be impressed if he didn't already know exactly how this confrontation is going to end.

Ren stares down his nose at Finn. The stale air begins to churn and Poe resists the urge to groan. They don't have any way to treat the injuries Kylo Ren is sure to inflict upon—

"Hey!"

To Poe's immense surprise, Rose steps between the two men, glaring up at Kylo Ren fiercely. "Calm down. Finn just wants to see how Rey is doing. She's our friend and she almost died."

Kylo Ren tilts his head down a little to take in the woman in front of him. Rose is so much smaller compared to Ren in stature that it's almost comical. Not so comical, however when Ren cocks his head to the side and looks at Rose as if she's an insect. An insect that he'd like nothing more than to squash.

In that moment, as if on cue, Rey stirs and moans again. Her eyes flutter open and her hand moves over her face, scrubbing at her eyes.

It's almost cute, how Rey, half asleep and oblivious, can immediately take command of the entire room just by yawning.

But to Poe, this means that the maneuvering must begin now in earnest.

"Finn," Rey mumbles, eyes fluttering open. She smiles a little at the sight of her friends. The expression disappears when she sees Kylo Ren, however. Disappears and is replaced with something else. "Ben," she whispers, so low that Poe barely catches it.

Then his torture buddy looks down at her stomach, eyes widening when she notices that she's no longer covered in fresh blood and gaping open at the middle. She stares back up at the man who had once been Ben Solo and her hazel eyes begin to swim. "Ben." She says his name again simply and with pride.

Kylo Ren kneels down beside her immediately, large hand, still stained red, rubbing over her healed abdominal in an oddly intimate gesture.

Poe looks away, grabs Finn by the elbow and drags him back toward the corner of the hallway. "Tell Chewie to be ready. Whatever is going to happen is going to happen soon."

Finn opens his mouth to argue or balk or panic—

Poe rests a hand firmly on his shoulder. "Tell Chewie to be prepared to land on the nearest planet. Or to fight."

Finn opens his mouth again but Rose smacks him pointedly on the chest. "You got it," she says, voice steady. But her face is grim.

All three nod at each other.

And then, as an afterthought, they all hug each other as well.

Poe lets Rey and Kylo Ren have a moment.

And then he steps forward, making sure his footsteps fall sharply, loudly. The two don't spring apart, instead separating slowly. As if releasing the other (Rey letting go of Ren's hand, Kylo Ren sliding his hand over her stomach and hip to rest back at his side) is a desperately unwanted thing.

Poe places his hand on his blaster and steps right up to the cot.

He's shocked that he's able to do so without any outright resistance from Kylo Ren.

"Rey," he says, and she tilts her head up at him in acknowledgement. There's worry in her eyes and she swallows.

"Hi, Poe," She gives him a very strained smile, so fake Poe almost rolls his eyes. Kylo Ren shifts behind him, making Poe suck in a deep breath in order to remain calm. This next part will be tricky, will determine the fate of himself and everyone on the Falcon.

"Rey," Poe begins again, letting his voice remain soft and nonthreatening. "I'm glad you're alive, torture buddy. Had us all sweating there for a second."

Rey smiles, cheekbones flushing a little.

"Got ourselves in a situation, however. A supreme situation." Poe jerks his head toward Ren. "As you can see."

Rey snorts, diffusing the mounting tension in the room just a little.

Out of the corner of his eye Poe catches a flash of sheer indignance cross Kylo Ren's face, as if the other man is affronted that Poe dared to make Rey laugh.

The flush on Rey's cheeks deepens, and she takes a deep breath, as if preparing herself to speak.

"Can I ask you a question, Rey?"

She nods. Poe chooses his next words very carefully.

Poe really, really hopes she doesn't lie this time.

"Do you love Kylo Ren?"

The man hovering over them both stills, and Poe knows Kylo Ren is just as anxious to hear Rey's response as Poe is. Especially since Poe deliberately did not use his old name. It'll be telling, what Rey decides to answer.

If Rey only loves Ben Solo then her feelings are conditional. Like she only loves him because of what he could be or what he's been instead of who he is now, a man who can murder his father but also loves his enemy enough to heal her. Enough to stay his hand from truly hurting anyone on this ship.

Tears trickle down Rey's cheeks and a noise of sharp inhalation comes from Kylo Ren.

She nods, at first slowly and then more vigorously, as if now that's she's decided to be honest with herself the truth cements more firmly inside of her. "Yes," she breathes out. And then again, louder. "Yes."

The sincerity of it rings throughout the three of them like a song. And then Kylo Ren is scooping her up and sitting down on the cot with Rey in his arms, cradling the back of her head and kissing her in a starved way.

Poe almost kind of sort of wants to smile at the sight.

They land on the nearest planet an hour later. It's not a highly populated planet, but there's a trade outpost that's bustling with activity, shuttles constantly coming in and out.

That's where they leave Rey and Kylo Ren.

"You don't think we should have shot him?" Connix is standing next to Poe, watching Kylo Ren like a hawk, hand openly poised on her blaster.

Poe watches Rey wrap her arms around Finn in goodbye, watches her let go of him to embrace Rose. Kylo Ren stands off to the side, pointedly glaring at Finn with his mouth turned down in a scowl. "I think it's more complicated than that."

Connix raises her eyebrows at him.

He smiles at her. "I think falling in love with someone changes people. Not necessarily who they are, but more along the lines of what they want. I don't think Kylo Ren wants the same things he wanted six months ago."

"And what do you think he wants now?" Connix sounds skeptical. In fact, everyone who he's mentioned this plan to in the past hour has been skeptical. Kylo Ren will always be a murderer to them. A criminal. And Poe can't blame them for that, nor does he plan to insist they think otherwise.

But that doesn't make certain facts any less true.

"I think he wants to be with Rey."

A/N:

I started this fic because I wanted to write Kylo Ren and Poe having a long conversation and look what the fuck didn't happened. Characters, man. *heaves exasperated sigh*

Anyway, I hope you all liked my little short story. Now to dive into a full project because I hate myself. ^.^

If you liked let me know?