AWAKEN

40

HE WAS at the door of her quarters the following morning. Poe had decided to be a gentlemen and bring her a cup of caff and even offered to walk Amara to her meeting. The walk together was nice. He held her hand and for a brief moment, she felt as if they had a normal couple moment. Him waiting for her, bringing her some morning caff, and walking her to her meeting. But Amara knew it was only limited. He was here for a week, maybe a few days extra by Leia's orders.

"How'd you sleep?" Poe asks her.

Amara looks up at him.

Honestly, not well. She kept thinking about a lot. Rey. The man from her vision. Her conflict with her brother. The war. Everything.

"I slept fine, Poe." Amara lied to his face.

Poe gives a small smile, "I'm glad." He adds, "Has the nightmares gone away?"

Amara frowns, "Have they've gone away for you?"

Poe says nothing, but sort of grimace.

Amara knew that was a low blow to say to him, but he asked first. She knew he still has nightmares from the Finalizer and the sort of abuse he underwent by Kylo Ren, the same sort of demons haunting his slumber is what haunts Amara. Sometimes it isn't the war and Amara knew that. Sometimes for Poe, it's his past. A past Amara didn't know a lot of. Sometimes for Amara it was her family, before it fell apart.

"They never seem to fully go away, Poe, but I have good nights and sometimes bad nights." Amara tells him.

Poe only nods.

Amara glanced up at him and then to the cup of caff he had brought to her this morning. She glanced over to him.

"What are you in store for today?" Amara asks.

Poe shrugs his shoulders, "I have to teach some new recruits straight out of the New Republic how to properly clean their X-Wing. All these kids know how to do is pilot." He says.

Amara gives a small grin, "Isn't that what we want? New pilots?" She asks.

Poe nods, "I mean yes, but if they don't know how their ship works how else would they survive if the worst happens to them on a mission." He says.

Amara shrugs, "I don't know, Poe. That's why you're the teacher and I am not."

Poe gives a charming smile, "But you get to have fun playing politics." He adds.

Amara and Poe had exited the Tantive IV. They were near the command center, which is where Amara was going to be spending the first half of her day, until she manages to escape for an hour or so to just be alone as her spot.

Amara groans, "Meetings with senators is not fun." She says.

Poe placed a supportive grasp on her shoulder, "It just shows Leia is showing you the ropes for the future." He grins, "I am glad she trusts the Resistance in someone else's hands."

Amara glanced at him.

He didn't know. He didn't know that Leia had chosen him as her successor. She knew though, Amara didn't feel it was within her rights to tell Poe that. She felt as if that was the sort of thing her mother should tell Poe.

Amara softly smiles, "Same."

{RISE OF SKYWALKER}

THE MEETINGS go exactly how Amara had expected. Long and exhausting. She managed to sneak away after being locked in meetings for four hours. She didn't go far, but instead was sitting outside the cave looking at the sky. She'd rather be training with Anakin. Or better yet just talking to him. Hearing stories from him made her feel closer to something. Sometimes, she felt detached from her mother. Leia was far too focused on the war. On the Resistance.