Leia woke to find Kat curled against her. The general smiled softly, tucking a few strands of hair out of her daughter's face. She had taken her own advice and after she had made her rounds, she had joined Kat in the captain's quarters. She didn't have the heart to wake the young woman up, not when she looked so peaceful and relaxed. She supposed that sleeping in what was practically a second home would allow Kat to finally get the much-needed sleep her body desired.
Placing a kiss on her daughter's forehead, Leia got out of bed and ready for the day. She made her way to the galley to make herself a cup of tea when she felt Rey enter. "Good morning, Rey."
"Good morning. May I have a cup?" She asked, motioning towards the tea that Leia was making.
"Of course." She smiled.
"I met your daughter. She isn't..." The young Jedi trailed off, not quite sure how to phrase the next part. A Jedi? Force sensitive? She wasn't quite sure of the phrasing but luckily Leia knew what she meant.
"No, her birth parents weren't force users. I may have adopted her but she's every bit my daughter as if I had given birth to her myself." She then smiled. "I hope she didn't treat you poorly. She's slow to trust."
"She was fine." She smiled reassuringly before she was reminded of how cold her voice had gotten when she mentioned the other Solo child. "I learned though, that I probably shouldn't mention Ben."
"That is a very complicated relationship. She's not too happy with him right now."
Rey couldn't help but laugh. "I think that's putting it lightly."
"My son is gone and I think we're both still coming to terms with that," Leia said as she handed the young Jedi a cup of tea.
When they returned to the main hub of the ship, it seemed a little livelier than a few moments ago. That's when they both noticed a certain pilot pacing. "Poe!" Leia called out, stopping the man in her tracks. "If you're worried about her just go check on her." She smiled knowingly.
Red tinted his cheeks at being caught. He had ignored the looks from his squadron after he returned from heading to the captain's quarters on his second turn. He gave a curt nod and turned back around to finally head to the room he couldn't quite make himself go to. When everyone else was awake and with no sign of Kat, who was notorious for being awake before all of them, he had grown worried.
He knocked but when he didn't get a response, he entered the room. He let out a sigh of relief when he noticed the rise and fall of her chest. She was still asleep and it was the most relaxed he thought he'd ever seen her. He almost didn't want to wake her but he also knew that she would be needed eventually. Rose woke in the middle of the night and had asked for her, so he knew that the moment Rose woke again, the mechanic would come looking for her friend.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, he tucked some hair behind her ear, just watching her sleep a little while more. He gently shook her shoulder as he called for her to wake up.
She groaned and swatted at his arm. "Five more minutes."
He chuckled and started shaking her again. "Come on, you've got a crew to inform and a friend to say hello to."
Her eyes opened then, hope shining through them. "Rose's awake?" Her voice was gravelly with sleep as her words slurred a bit.
He chuckled, nodding. "Good morning to you too, Kat." He teased her.
Rolling her eyes, she playfully shoved at him. "You know the last time you woke up before me you had the decency to bring me breakfast." She teased right back.
"How about you get up and we go find something to eat together?"
She rolled onto her back, making a show of thinking about his offer. "Sounds reasonable enough." She finally said before the silence could enter into more than just a dramatic pause as she turned to face him once more. "Now get out, I gotta put on pants." She pushed at him so he would get off the bed.
"Are pants really a necessity?" He asked with a smirk.
"Out!" She ordered, pointing towards the door. She was not fully functional yet to put up with his flirty comments if the heat rushing to her face was any indication.
With a laugh, he left the room.
Kat emerged a few moments later dressed for the day. Her typical braid was nowhere to be found, however. She left her hair down, using smaller braids to create a headband so she could keep her hair out of her face. Poe didn't say anything, he couldn't say anything. Sure she was always beautiful but her hair was always pulled back, battle-ready whether it be in a braid, a ponytail, or a bun. Seeing her hair down and with such an ease about her, it was the most beautiful he had ever seen her. This ship was just as much hers as it was Leia's or Han's. She looked very much like she belonged like she should be coming out of the captain's quarters.
"What?" She asked when he didn't speak. She didn't want to really read much into the expression written on his face. "I'm not the only one who likes to change her hair every once in a while."
Her comment broke him out of his thoughts. "It's nothing. I've just never seen your hair down before. It looks good." He smiled at her.
Watching her tuck her hair behind her ear made his fingers itch to do just the same. "Thanks." She returned the smile, silence falling over them momentarily. It was a heavy kind of silence, the kind of silence that pushed for them to say things they had kept to themselves for a long time. "So breakfast?" Kat asked instead, motioning for him to start heading down the hall.
✧✩✧
She noticed Leia first, sitting at the small table, cup in front of her, and Rey to her right. Kat came up behind her, just as she was about to kiss her hair, Leia lifted her chin so that the kiss would land on her cheek. "Good morning, mom." She whispered. Kat hadn't had the opportunity to call Han dad until it was far too late, so she wasn't going to waste any time with Leia.
The older woman smiled up at her daughter, rather enjoying the most important title she ever wore come from Kat's lips. "There's still some tea in there if you want some. I haven't been able to check my usual hiding spots to see if there's anything good left."
Kat laughed. "I'm disappointed in you. That should have been the first thing you did."
"Bring me back something if you find anything then?"
"Of course."
As she and Poe continued to the galley, Leia called out. "I like that hairstyle. Where'd you get the idea from?"
Kat smirked, eyes alight with mischief. "There's this story about this princess who ran away to live with the Ewoks on Endor. She apparently wound up saving the planet or something." She shrugged. "I don't know, seems a little far-fetched to me. Great taste in hairstyles though."
Leia laughed, shaking her head. Those surrounding them, Poe and Rey included, looked to the mother-daughter pair in shock. The two hardly ever showed any sign they were related while surrounded by others. Then again it must have been the familiarity of the ship for this felt like watching a private family moment. "Oh, you insufferable child." She muttered as Kat and Poe walked off, Kat's laugh still heard from further down the hallway.
"I don't think we're gonna know what to do with the two of you like this," Poe said, looking over at her. He wished he could see her like this always. It was the most open he had ever seen her.
Kat chuckled. "We're home. We used to pack this thing full and go on family vacations or when we'd go visit Ben. This is where we learned to fly, how to do repairs, I even learned how to shoot and throw a punch on board this ship."
"You learned how to shoot on board the Millennium Falcon?"
"Yeah. Dad didn't think mom would approve so we would sneak on here and he taught me a whole slew of things."
"I'm surprised you don't use a blaster more often then."
Kat shrugged. "I fell in love with the batons on Naboo."
"So is this going to be the new normal?"
"We had a shit day yesterday and we lost a lot of people. They will be mourned properly but right now we need to keep the hope alive and remind them that we need to focus on today and the future. In order to honor the fallen, we must move on and we have a chance to start fresh, build a stronger Resistance so we can finally take down the First Order once and for all."
She paused just outside the galley and looked at him. "If we can do that by joking with one another in our downtime before we get back to work, then that's what we're gonna do. Being a leader isn't just about making up plans, it's also what you do for your followers in between the plans."
There was no doubt in his mind that Kat would be the perfect successor for Leia in all aspects of her life. He hoped that he'd still be a part of her life by then to see it. Then something clicked with something she said at the end. "The way you always made sure we would sleep or go eat after we got back from a flight or if we had put in long hours in the hangar."
The corners of Kat's lips quirked up. "Exactly."
Just then Rose came over and hugged Kat, Finn not too far behind. "There you are."
The colonel froze at the surprise hug before loosening an arm from Rose's embrace to bring around her friend in order to return it. "How about there you are. You were out the rest of the time on me. How're you feeling?"
"I'm fine. Can I talk to you though? Just you?" She clarified after giving a quick glance to where Poe and Finn were talking with one another.
"Can it be done while looking for Leia's stash in the galley?"
Rose nodded.
"Hey boys, why don't you find out if Chewie needs any help in the cockpit or if he's eaten lately. Rose and I got the galley and we'll bring something out for ya." She said it as a suggestion but the silent conversation she and Poe just held, made him realize even more that the request was more of an order. Still didn't mean he wasn't a little disappointed.
When the boys had left, Kat steered her friend into the galley and made her sit on the stool that she used to use as a kid when she needed to reach things. "So what's going on?" She asked as she climbed up onto the countertop. She had half a mind to ask Rose to be on the lookout but Han wouldn't be coming in to catch her in the act. The thought made her pause briefly, gently touching the panel she was about to open instead of prying it open like a woman on a mission.
"I in not so many words told Finn that I loved him and before I passed out I kissed him. He's been by my side ever since but he looks at Rey as if she lit all the stars."
Kat snorted. "Rose, you realize I'm the last person you want relationship advice from, right?"
The colonel heard the shuffling of feet, so with a hand still stuck inside the wall of the Falcon, Kat turned to face her friend. Rose looked up at the movement and gave her a small smile. "You're the only one I have left."
She knew that look, knew it all too well and her heart clenched, hating that one of the few people she considered as a friend, now knew that pain. "Then promise if you listen to my advice and it backfires, you won't hate me. I nearly lost my best friend twice yesterday so I'd rather not lose her over bad advice."
"I promise."
"Good." Kat turned around and went back to searching for a certain box. "I say you talk to him but maybe about getting to know each other a little better. I mean you've only really known him for a day and I know you're hiding something from how you two really met. I don't want to see you locked in some triangle where you could potentially get your heartbroken."
Rose let out a sigh. "And you said you're not the best person for relationship advice."
"You're actually gonna take it?"
"I will if you will."
Kat looked over her shoulder, confusion written all over her face.
"Oh, please. I know you left out details of your trip to Coruscant and I know for a fact he wasn't in Leia's room just to check on her. He was checking on you too. Don't even get me started on how you two can now have conversations with just looks between you."
"We've just really honed in on our teamwork," Kat answered, looking back into the wall.
"That's a load of banthashit."
When Kat finally laid eyes on what she had been looking for, she grinned. Not only because she found it but because it gave her an excuse to change the subject. She pulled the box out and set it on the stove so she could hop down. "I hope some of this stuff is still good." She motioned for Rose to join her.
The mechanic allowed for the topic change and helped Kat shift through the box of non-perishable items Leia kept stashed away. And soon she understood why.
There was a variety of yummy looking dried fruits. Even some sweet treats that Kat promised that they would still be good even after years of being tucked away in the wall above the cabinet. But then Kat pulled a bottle out and a sly grin spread across her features.
Corellian whiskey. Either Han knew of the hiding place or Leia stashed it there for special occasions, especially since it looked like it had been opened before.
Kat set the bottle aside and grabbed a few bowls. "It's not going to be as good without some yogurt but it'll do in a pinch." She said as she poured some granola into the bowl before sprinkling a few of each of the dried fruits on top. She then repeated the action for each of the bowls she had pulled out, asking which fruits Rose would like.
When she finished, she left the rest out for others to use if they desired something more than the ration packs. Climbing back to put the box away, Kat returned the panel to the wall and hopped down. "You got the ones for Finn and Rey?" Kat asked as she stacked the bowls she planned on carrying before tucking the bottle of whiskey under her arm.
Rose confirmed and the two were headed back out to the main hub. As they passed people, they let them know what was left behind in the kitchen. Their group of friends was surrounding the table when they returned which made divvying out the bowls a lot easier.
With all the bowls passed out, Kat finally set the bottle of whiskey on the table. "Did you know about this?" She asked Leia.
The older woman laughed, nodding her head. "I had forgotten I stashed that up there. It's a little too early to drink though."
"I know but I'd like to pour one out for dad and maybe do a toast once we land."
Leia smiled and nodded. "I think that can be arranged."
Chewbacca growled, letting Kat know about how much longer. Smiling, she nodded while she chewed her latest bite. "Did you get any sleep last night? I'll keep watch if you want to nap."
His non-answer made Leia order him to rest and told Kat once she was done eating to keep watch. She did just that, watching as the blue light sped past. A porg sat in her lap and while she scratched its stomach, she made the mental note to ask about them.
Kat looked over her shoulder when she heard footsteps, smiling in greeting when she saw that it was Poe. He plopped down in the co-pilot seat. "Thanks for breakfast. I owe you on the next one."
She hummed. "Suppose you do."
"What did Rose want?"
"Girl code. Can't tell ya." She smirked over at him.
"Fair enough. Finn's been asking questions about you so fair warning he may come to try to talk to you."
"Are you warning me to make sure I'm nice?"
Poe laughed. "I mean I know how our first interaction went."
"Well, yeah, you were rude. Finn's never been rude in the interactions I've had with him."
"Is that how you remember when we met?"
"Well, yeah, cause it's true. The first thing practically out of your mouth was the nickname the press had given me."
He shook his head, chuckling. "I put my foot in my mouth sure but I didn't truly start being rude to you until after you were named colonel."
"And yet here you sit."
He smirked over at her. "What can I say, you grew on me."
She bit her cheek to keep a dopey grin from going across her face but she was sure her eyes betrayed her because his smirk changed into more of a lopsided grin. Then there was that desire to kiss him again, even tell him that he had grown on her too. He had worn her walls down and she knew if she gave in to her desires, there would be no turning back, he would be firmly placed in her heart.
Clearly, her mouth was not in line with her head for the next words out of her mouth was all heart. "Yeah, you've grown on me too." She said, eyes widening slightly before she turned to focus on the stars flying past them. She couldn't believe that those words had come from her lips. Sure it wasn't some big confession but those words for the two of them had a bit of a deeper meaning.
Poe reached out and took her hand in his, watching her cautiously, not wanting to send her back behind all the locked doors she hid behind. "Kat, you know..."
"Please don't." She whispered, cutting him off as she closed her eyes to brace herself for wherever this conversation was going to lead next. The second they crossed this line, the galaxy would take him from her, she just knew it. It's how her life worked.
Nodding, he squeezed her hand. "Okay. Just promise me that we won't go backwards."
Her eyes were still closed and he watched as she took a few deep breaths. She was trying to calm the war that was going on inside of her. Fighting every instinct to tell him to go. They had come such a long way and even she, who pushed things aside, couldn't ignore how he had stayed by her side throughout the entire time that Leia was healing despite the argument that had been brewing between them. "I promise." She whispered and because she kept her eyes closed, she missed the dazzling smile that appeared on his face.
He gave her hand another squeeze as he stood. He wasn't going to force her into anything she wasn't ready for or anything she didn't want. He tried to tell her that before she had cut him off. So to show her by his actions, he placed a kiss on the top of her head and slowly let go of her hand. "I'm going to go update the crew on our ETA. If you need a break, come get me and I'll take over the watch."
Kat nodded, grateful he was leaving her alone to have her moment. She waited a few seconds after he had left before opening her eyes. Doing what she did best when not wanting to deal with her emotions, she threw herself into the task at hand. Setting the porg down, she stood, looking around the cockpit for any quick fixes that could be worked on so that it wouldn't be an issue later.
✧✩✧
Right on schedule, Kat and Chewbacca landed the Falcon in the mostly cleared out airfield. Leia mentioned that the old rebel base had never been fully constructed but it would still work. The Resistance broke off into teams to get the base as functional as they would need it for just the night. When they landed it was nearly nightfall and yet the air still was heavy with moisture.
The teams had spread out, figuring out all that was available and what would be needed over time. Under Leia's guidance, Kat broke the base into sections and instructed each small team on where to go. Rose informed the teams that were assigned to looking for supplies on what they needed to look for and what to keep track of. The teams that weren't mapping out the base and searching for what could have been stashed or left behind, were focused on getting a command center up and running.
Leia took that team to the cave that was practically in the middle of the whole base. There sat Tantive IV, the cruiser Kat's grandmother had worked on, that Leia herself used before being taken by Darth Vader. "We'll use this for our generator and to provide beds. I'm sure we could even use the galley if needed." Leia said since Kat was too shocked to speak.
The team set to work as they began to construct their command center around the infamous ship. Kat turned to face Leia as she pulled her hair up in a bun so she could get to work. "I thought this ship was destroyed."
"It only crashed. We were able to recover it, fix it up and we brought it here until we would need it again."
She shook her head in disbelief, a small smile on her face. It seemed even ships belonging to her family were as stubborn as they were. "Then it looks like I better get to work."