Force Destiny

Finn's Conflict

"I don't know what to do," Finn admitted. "You're the only one I can talk to about this. It's Rey. I'm worried about her. She is playing with fire, and I don't know if she is too naïve to realize it. She has some sort of Force Bond... I don't like that word; it's too personal... Force tether to the most evil man in the galaxy. She can hurt him, which means he can hurt her. She is strong and brave and has defeated him before, but he's a killing machine. If she had only seen what I've seen..."

He shuddered as he remembered the moment that the monster pinned him against the tree. "I know what this man is capable of. I've witnessed his savagery. He is not only cruel and merciless, but behind that mask is an incredibly intelligent and manipulative mind. I fear that she underestimates him. There is no telling the lengths he will go to find us through her. And the way she speaks about him like she almost has... no, it couldn't be compassion. She just has hope he will turn, and it's frightening. I made her a promise not to tell anyone. But if she would put us all in danger, is it better to think of the survival of Resistance or to keep the promise I made to my friend? She will always have my loyalty, but I fear that being the friend she wants and being the friend she needs might become two different paths."

He sighed, adjusting his jacket over the woman sleeping next to him. "Thanks for listening, Rose," he whispered as a single tear escaped down his cheek. He leaned down and gently brushed a stray lock of hair from her cheek.

"I wish I could tell you this. I wish I could tell you all about it. And I desperately wish I could share my feelings for you. I'm just...scared. Everything I have ever loved or cared about has been taken away from me. I found a cause worth fighting for, but you and Rey will always be the most important people in my life. You almost died because of your feelings for me. If I let myself love you, if I tell you how much you mean to me, then what will happen if..."

"Finn, buddy!" he heard his friend call from behind him.

"Hey, I didn't hear you standing there." Finn smiled, quickly wiping his tear-stained cheeks on his shoulder. "Rose fell asleep on the altar while we were talking, so I thought I would sit here with her for a while. You're up late. It's the middle of the night cycle."

"Oh, I haven't been standing here long. I can't sleep. I was visiting Leia. How are you holding up?" Poe asked, throwing an arm around Finn's shoulders.

"As well as I can, I guess," he answered, "How's Leia?"

Poe's eyes darkened. "I don't think she is going to make it, Finn," he admitted. "Kylo Ren has singlehandedly destroyed everything that she loves. Han Solo...Luke Skywalker...now the Resistance... Her body was weak after he tried to kill her on the Raddus, and maybe it was only a matter of time. But I just don't think she can survive without that Force connection to Luke. It's like their fates are interconnected. She is weakening more every hour. I think she is going to die because of their severed bond...because of Kylo Ren. What is worse, is she will die with a broken heart, and there is nothing I can do to change that. I love her like a second mother, but I will never be able to do enough to make up for what he has done to her. All the pain she carries is because of him. She is the strongest person I know, but I don't think even she can pull through this."

"Do you think that is how it is for all Force connections? If one of them dies, the other dies, too?" Finn asked anxiously. Poe examined his face very carefully.

"Why?" He spoke the word slowly and deliberately. Finn nervously stammered as he searched for a reasonable answer. But Poe just watched him curiously as he squirmed, like a predator luring its prey into a trap. His eyes searched for answers that Finn feared he would find. "No, I don't," Poe answered abruptly, "Leia and Luke were twins. What they had was unique." Finn sighed in relief. "I do have a question for you, though, since you're here."

"Sure," Finn smiled, "Anything."

"Do you think..." Poe hesitated, "That Rey is committed to the Resistance?"

"Of course!" But it was Finn's turn to ask suspiciously, "Why?"

"Don't get me wrong, I know she saved us all. There are just some strange things she has said. And there is a bounty on her head, for killing Snoke. She was on the Supremacy and never told us. Why was she there, and why didn't she tell anyone? I can't shake the feeling that she is lying to us... about Kylo Ren.

"I was in the corridor a couple of minutes ago. You're here, everyone else is asleep, but I swear I heard voices coming from her room. I swear I heard a man's voice. When I was walking down the corridor, I swear I saw a shadow walk out of her room, and I would recognize that violent stride anywhere. I had to be imagining it, because there is no way the Supreme Leader was here. But, then again, when I walked into her room, she called me 'Ben.' She said it was a nightmare, but she said 'Ben,' not 'Ren.' I know what I heard."

Poe paced for a moment in agitation. He mumbled to himself as he fussed with his hair before shifting his eyes back to Finn. "I don't know much about the Force, but I do know this. If Leia... is gone, they will be the only two Force users left in this war. I can't help but worry that, without Luke, Rey will search out the only person who can teach her about her new powers. She just seems so secretive. But maybe that is my own fear of how dangerous Kylo Ren can be that is making me paranoid. I mean, if he finds us we're all dead, right?" he laughed, which made Finn uncomfortable, the emotion out of place with the consequence of his words. "But you know her best; she isn't hiding anything, is she?

Finn was quiet as he contemplated Poe's argument. Rey hated Kylo, didn't she? She would never betray the Resistance. She just needed time. "I'll talk to her," he assured him.

"And if there is something going on," Poe said, studying him. "You'll tell me, right?"

Finn nodded vehemently. "Yes, I will. I promise." Poe nodded in return and began walking down the corridor but stopped himself in the archway. He rapped his knuckles on the wall and pivoted his head enough for Finn to hear him.

"Tell her how you feel, Finn." he smiled, nodding at Rose. "I know it's not the same, but the last time I saw my mother, I refused to say 'goodbye' because I thought if I didn't, then it wouldn't be. It was. You're in love either way. Trust me, if something terrible were to happen, you'll regret the words you didn't say more than the ones you did."