AN: I apologize for taking a bit to get this next chapter to you. I'm trying to get into the groove of writing multiple WIPs at the same time again cause apparently my mind was like no you gotta write all of these right now. So here we are with larger updates in between chapters. I hope you enjoy this next chapter and thanks for all the love this story has received!
✧☆✧
Celebration could be heard all around the Resistance base while people were also mourning those who they had lost in the battle. Kat had only got her boots on the ground when Kare appeared in front of her. "I'm going to go find Poe and tell him the same thing but thank you for all you've done. Thank you for believing in us and allowing us to lead. I will help in any way that I am needed in the future."
Kat just pulled the other woman in for a hug. "They are all looking down and celebrating with us."
Kare made a sound that was a mix between a sob and laughter as she nodded against Kat's shoulder. "I'm going to miss him."
"I know," Kat said, pulling back. "He was a great pilot and even better man and husband. We're here if you need anything."
The other woman hugged Kat once more, squeezing her tight to express her thanks. "Thank you, Kat, for everything."
Kat smiled softly. "You're welcome. Now go find Jess. I'm sure she's looking for you."
Once Kare ran off, Kat started making her way around base, looking for her friends while celebrating with those who stopped her. She saw Chewie first but then there was Rose so she hurried over to where the Millenium Falcon had landed. Lando snagged her before she got to the others, pulling her into a hug. "That was some great flying out there. Knew you could do it."
"You took your time though, didn't you?"
He laughed. "You saw all those people, right? It took a little longer to get them all there."
Kat smiled up at him. "I'm just glad you showed."
"I'll never leave you stranded." He leaned in closer, arching his eyebrow. "Now about this brother of yours?"
She rolled her eyes. "Can we talk about it later?" They may have finally won the war but there was still one raging inside of her.
He patted her shoulder, giving her a knowing look as he moved on.
Kat let out a sigh and turned to look for the others that were on the Falcon. She saw Rose and Finn embracing but soon the mechanic was pulling back to scold him. Rose poked at his chest before pulling him in for another hug, relief radiating off of the couple.
Jannah pulled her attention away from the couple and they shared a brief moment, Kat thanking her for her help before brown fur engulfed Kat's vision.
Chewbacca growled and Kat laughed as she was picked up. "It's good to see you too."
He soon sat her down and introduced her to Wedge, who promised that they would talk later. He understood she was quite the important woman and she wouldn't want to speak to an old man when there were friends around to speak to. The infamous pilot pointed to where Finn and Rose were waiting to speak with her to prove his point. Kat turned and smiled before running over to hug Rose, sidelining Finn all together.
"Alright, I see how it is." He teased her.
"Oh, shut up and get over here." Kat laughed, holding out her arm so they could have a group hug. "I'm so glad you two are safe."
"Yeah, I don't know how you handled Poe improvising all these years." Rose joked, giving a pointed look towards Finn.
Kat laughed, shaking her head. "He's here. That's all that matters."
Finn grinned and was about to say something when Kat fixed him with a pointed look. "Why don't you go ask Poe how well gloating about that works out for ya?"
That quieted him but caused Rose to laugh. "Guess I should go find him then, huh?"
"Tell him I'll see him soon?" Kat asked.
"You got it," Finn promised before leaning down to kiss Rose.
"It's gonna take more than that!" Rose called out as Finn started to leave but he turned around and smirked at her. "I'm betting on it."
A blush colored Rose's cheeks causing Kat to laugh. "Remind me to stay away from your room tonight."
Rose bumped her shoulder against Kat's arm, glaring up at her friend. "So who's this person that called you love out there?"
Kat then groaned, rolling her eyes. "That's Wes. My contact from Naboo. He is mostly a pain in my side."
"Like Poe was?" Rose teased.
"Who's this Poe I keep hearing about?" Wes said as he approached the two women.
Kat turned to look at him, rolling her eyes. "He is my boyfriend so I'm gonna need you to cool it."
"Oh, so you mean I can't say that I still prefer you blonde?" He smirked as he pulled her in for a hug.
"That's exactly what that means," Kat said as she returned the hug. "Thank you for coming. I could actually probably use your help with rebuilding efforts."
"Anything you need. I'm hoping I can get Naboo back to some peace but I mean you saw the riots."
"So that's who this is!" Rose exclaimed, finally putting a name to a face.
Kat laughed, moving to the side. "Wes, this is Rose. She's been better about watching my six than you ever were." She slightly teased.
Wes laughed and shook Rose's hand. "So you're the poor soul who took my place then. Thanks for looking out for this one. I know how much of a handful she is."
"She definitely didn't make it easy." Rose teased.
"I don't think I like this." Kat shook her head. "I'm gonna go find Poe though so don't share anything too embarrassing, please?" She requested as she slowly backed away.
"Not making any promises!" Wes called after her, laughing as she flipped him off. He then turned to Rose. "Kat and Poe, I need to know all the details."
Rose laughed. "I might like you after all."
✧☆✧
Poe walked around, looking for his friends after he stopped by one of the medics. The bacta treatment he had for the laser blast wound had worked fine but with all the flying it had been used far more than was recommended after the treatment. So they gave him a makeshift sling and he knew immediately Kat was going to freak.
He looked into one of the clearings and noticed Zorii. The two shared a head nod and continued their separate ways. He was glad that she had somehow survived the attack on Kijimi. He'd have to ask how later but for now, there were far more important things to worry about.
Turning back to continue on his way he noticed Finn. They grinned, pointing at each other before they hugged.
"What happened? You okay?" Finn asked when they pulled back.
"Yeah. Just a little sore and needing to rest it some since I just put a lot of strain on it."
"Kat is not going to be happy." He chuckled.
Poe laughed along. "No, she is not. Have you seen her?"
"I left her with Rose so it might be a bit."
"Maybe I should go find her then." He joked. "Where were they?"
Finn pointed back in the direction he came. "Over by the Falcon. She did say she'd see you soon though."
"Yeah, I think I better go find her." Poe chuckled patting Finn on the shoulder. "Great work today, General."
"You too, General. I actually have an idea..."
"Celebrate now, ideas later," Poe said, interrupting his friend with a smile.
"What happened to your arm?" Kat exclaimed as she approached the two men.
"And that's my cue to leave." Finn laughed and left the couple to reunite.
"Is this the same arm you got shot?" She asked, touching the spot gingerly.
"It's just sore. Strained it a little too much. I'm fine." He kissed her temple as he wrapped his free arm around her waist. He knew that she survived their final battle but to have her in his arms, it was far better than just that simple knowledge.
She sighed and went into his embrace, being cautious of his arm as she hugged him. There really was no better feeling than being in his arms. It was like coming home after a long day and she really couldn't wait to continue going through life with him by her side. "We did it, Poe. We actually stopped them."
He pulled her closer, giving her waist a squeeze. "We did. You kicked ass out there. You've been holding out on me."
Kat laughed as she pulled away. "I've not been in anything like that since Naboo really and I'm hoping we never have to again."
"The most action we might see is on the senate floor and I might just be okay with that."
Kat groaned, resting her head on his good shoulder. "I don't even want to think about that right now."
Poe chuckled. "That's all I'm going to say." He then began to kiss anywhere he could reach, tugging her a little closer. "Can I steal you away now?"
Before she could even answer, the base roared into a commotion as Rey and Ben landed. Kat gave him a quick kiss. "Soon." She promised before taking off running towards the landing space everyone else seemed to be headed too.
Sighing, he took off after her. They both pushed their way through the crowd, most had their blasters raised even if Rey stood in front of Ben. Seeing that Kat and Poe were making their way through, members of the Resistance moved aside, creating space for them to walk.
Kat came to a halt once she was more in the opening away from the crowd. Ben was really standing there across from her and he looked worse for wear. He kept his expression unreadable, much like she had seen it throughout his time with the First Order. She should let them tie him up and put him away for all that he had done. She shouldn't be worried about his well being, shouldn't be worried about him toppling over at any minute.
All she wanted to do right now, though, was hug her brother and welcome him back home. She had been dealing with whispers and rumors ever since Naboo. She never let it deter her from what she wanted before. They just fueled her will to fight and to show those who were whispering not to underestimate her. Was it the best philosophy, especially when she had a whole galaxy to convince she could rebuild the Republic and bring about peace? Probably not, but it was what she knew.
"Lower your weapons." She ordered. "He clearly doesn't have any strength to do any damage."
When her command was listened to, she walked to his side and brought an arm around her shoulders. "Rey, will you help me get him to the med bay?"
The young Jedi nodded and went to his other side and soon both women were helping him limp to where Dr. Kalonia had set up. Murmurs spread throughout the crowd, especially as Ben's head dropped closer to Kat's and they saw how her hand supporting his back was moving back and forth like she was comforting him.
"Poe, what is this?" She heard someone ask.
He shook his head. He was not about to have people come after Kat through him. "Don't lose your trust or your faith in Kat because she is being a person, a sister, before a General. She knows what she's doing and I'm sure she'll answer everything soon."
✧☆✧
"Rey, are you needing to be checked out too?" Kat asked once they got Ben situated on the exam table.
"No." She answered.
"Yes," Ben said at the same time.
Rey gave him a pointed look and Kat looked between the pair, looking for someone to give her an answer.
"She died after she killed the Emperor. I brought her back." Ben explained.
Kat turned to the other woman, a serious expression written all over her face. "That's it. You're also getting checked out. General's orders." She pointed out towards another exam room.
The two women had a staring contest, a battle of wills more like, until Rey finally gave in as Dr. Kalonia stepped in. "Rey came back from the dead so I think she's the more dire patient," Kat said, hoping she could get a few moments alone with her brother.
Kalonia nodded and followed Rey out of the room, starting to ask her questions. Once the siblings were alone, Kat turned to face Ben. She was about to unleash her holy hell onto him but then she saw the sadness, the guilt, the fear, and relief written on his face. Her lip trembled and she surged forward wrapping her arms around him. "You're home." She cried into his neck.
Ben melted into his sister's embrace. He never thought he would be able to do this again. He brought his arms up to wrap around her middle and held her close. Tears spilled onto his cheeks as the realization hit that Kat was truly all he had left from his old life before he had followed Snoke. He had broken practically every promise he ever made her and yet here she was still looking out for him as she always did. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry, Kat, for everything." He sobbed quietly which in turn made Kat cry more.
She held him as tight as she could without hurting him, hiding her face until she got herself together. All couldn't be forgiven with just one hug. He had done so much damage and they certainly couldn't go back to how things were between them. When her tears finally slowed she pulled away from him. "One apology is not going to be enough. You have done some absolutely horrendous things that you're going to have to answer for. I can only do so much on top of working to rebuild what you helped destroy."
"I'll do whatever you need me to do." He said, looking down at his lap. He wasn't quite ready to face the anger he knew she held towards him. He let out a sigh, wanting to tell her so many things but not knowing where to begin. He knew now that he had been lied to, manipulated into joining the First Order. "I should have never doubted you. I should have listened to you when I first tried to get you to come with me."
"Damn right you should have." She shoved at his shoulder. A smirk played at her lips as she remembered something Leia had told her before she died. "Until you earn people's trust back you've got to listen to everything I tell you. Mom's orders."
He groaned, acting very much like the younger brother finding out that his older sibling was in charge. "She did not say that."
Kat grinned. "Oh, but she did. Her exact words were "he has to listen to his big sister." So you have to listen to everything I tell you or you might be getting a visit from her force ghost."
Ben just rolled his eyes. "Just don't make me do your chores."
She laughed at the memory of one of the other times she had been put in charge. Leia and Han had some dinner to go to and Kat had been charged with babysitting. They had come home to Ben doing the dishes while Kat sat nearby instructing him on what to do. "Don't worry, power doesn't go to my head anymore."
He gave her a questioning look, wondering if that was a jab at him or not. The cheeky grin she had on her face, however, told him all that he needed to know. Dr. Kalonia appeared then and Kat sat quietly in the corner as Ben was checked out. Ultimately the doctor decided to keep him for a few days so she could monitor his broken bones and give him fluids.
To give him some privacy to get ready for his treatments, Kalonia brought Kat out into the hallway. "I'm keeping Rey under observation tonight, maybe even give her some fluids as well, especially based on what she told me had happened to them on the ground. My order for you is to go rest. Celebrate, sure, you deserve to but how prepared are you for questions?"
Kat looked towards the room they had just come out of and sighed. "I'm sure you have a few of your own."
Kalonia just smiled. "Actually I don't have any at all."
The general was taken aback momentarily but soon a grateful smile spread across her features. "Thank you, doctor." She squeezed Kalonia's arm as she passed by. With things settled for now, maybe she could truly enjoy their victory.