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“Have I told you that you’re saving my life? Because you are saving my life.”
Rey stood next to Poe on the front stoop of her parents’ house, talking a mile a minute. In fact, she was pretty sure that she hadn’t stopped talking the entire three hour drive to New Alderaan, a steady string of nervous babble that somehow managed to calm her ever fraying nerves.
Poe laughed. “I think you might have mentioned that once or twice.”
“Oh, good. Because you really are.” She swallowed, shivering slightly as the wind picked up. Still, she didn’t ring the bell. “Oh, and don’t worry. Mom is really old fashioned, so you’ll be in the guest room and I’ll be in my room.”
“Good to know.” He was trying - and failing - not to smile, eyes doing that crinkle thing she liked so much.
Definitely, not the time to think of that. “So... thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He was full on laughing at her now. She might have thanked him once or twice or seventeen times already. It was a long drive. “And anyway, I should be thanking you. With Dad out of town this year, it would have been a frozen pizza and one of those terrible Netflix holiday movies.”
Rey laughed to herself. This man had no clue what was about to hit him. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that. My family is a lot on a good day, and Christmas, well Christmas tends to bring out the worst in them.”
“Oh, it can’t be that bad.” Poe shifted, surreptitiously attempting to warm his hands.
She thought back to last year when the asparagus burned and the dog ate a stick of butter and threw up on the carpet and her mother retired to her room in tears because Rey was never going to find someone (and give her grandkids. Well, more grandkids.).
“Nope. It’s worse.” She took a deep breath. “Ok, I guess it’s go time.”
He turned to her, bracing a hand on either arm. “Rey, breathe. I promise you I am a model fake boyfriend.”
That was exactly what she was afraid of.
But Poe wasn’t done. “And anyway, it’s two days. What’s the worst that could happen?”
“Oh you sweet summer child. Spoken like a man who has never met the Organa-Solos.” Rey barked out a laugh, finally turning to press the doorbell.
The plan had been hatched over a pre-holiday happy hour that had gotten a little too happy.
“I cannot believe you are bringing Jannah home for Christmas, you traitor.” Rey was already well into her third Christmas Ale, a dangerous proposition if she’d ever heard one. “My mom is going to lose her damn mind.”
She had known Finn forever, their families having been friends since long before either of them had been born. And as such, they had generally weathered the Skywalker family Christmas together. Until now.
“So let me get this straight.” He pointed at her with his glass, beer sloshing onto the table. “You’d rather I not take my girlfriend home to meet the family just so that you don’t have to hear it from your mother?”
“Exactly. Not a difficult concept.”
Across from her, Poe laughed and shook his head.
She turned to Poe, the beer making her brave. “What, do you have something you’d like to say, Dameron?”
“Nope,” he said, trying and failing to hide his smirk as he took a sip of his drink. “Just watching the show. Carry on.”
Rey took another sip of her own, willing her cheeks not to pink under the scrutiny of those warm, caramel eyes.
Ok, so she was in love with him. Had been for nearly the entire two years she’d known him. Sue her.
“What are you doing for the holidays?” Finn asked, taking the heat off Rey. “Any family drama in your future?”
It was Finn’s fault anyway. He’d been the one to bring Poe into their little duo to begin with. Of course they’d all gotten on like a house on fire, their little duo becoming a trio in no time.
“Not this year. My dad is going to visit his sister, so it’s just me, I’m afraid.”
Finn’s face got a dangerous look. Rey knew that look. It had never ended well.
“You’re going to be alone for Christmas.” It wasn’t a question.
Poe eyed him warily, at least recognizing that something was afoot. “Yes.”
“And Rey is dreading going to her parents house alone.”
“Finn…” she warned.
But Finn was on a roll and could not be stopped. “So if you go home with Rey as her ‘boyfriend,’ that means you aren’t alone.” He pointed at Poe. “And you don’t show up empty handed. Again” His finger landed on Rey. “It’s two birds with one stone!”
Her eyes darted over to Poe, his own already on her. And… he didn’t look horrified at the suggestion. In fact, he may have looked a little interested.
“I mean,” he started, speaking slowly, letting the idea grow on him. “It does fix both our problems.”
“Rey!” The door swung open to reveal Leia Organa-Solo in all her glory, her mother immediately dragging her inside and into a hug. “Just in time.”
That had not been an accident, Rey having timed their arrival perfectly. Just a shade late. Though it opened them up to family gossip - everyone else was already here, after all - it only left a half hour before they were off to see the Christmas lights in town. Which meant her family only had a half hour to interrogate Poe.
Speaking of, it seemed her mother finally remembered that he was there.
“And this must be Poe!” She abandoned Rey instantly for the shiny new toy. “Oh Rey, darling, you didn’t mention how handsome he was!”
Apparently, a half hour was more than enough time to embarrass Rey. Noted.
But Leia was too busy pulling Poe down into one of her crushing hugs to notice Rey’s flaming cheeks or instant mortification. It would have been bad enough if Poe had been an actual boyfriend, but this? This was somehow much worse.
Rey met his eyes, mouthing a “sorry,” as her mom continued to squeeze the life out of him.
“Thank you for having me, Mrs. Organa-Solo,” Poe managed to get out once he’d caught his breath. He reached into his bag and pulled out a nice bottle of red. “For you.”
“Oh, and he’s a gentleman to boot! I guess you do know how to pick them, Rey.” Leia gave her a wink that did little to take the sting out of her words. “I’m going to set this aside for after the lights. You two run along and put your stuff upstairs. We leave in twenty minutes sharp!”
“Uh, Mom?” asked Rey before her mother could disappear into the back of the house. “Where is Poe sleeping?”
Her mother looked at her like she was insane. “Well, in your room, of course.”
“But, but, the house rules,” Rey sputtered, panic sending her blood pressure through the roof. “Couples share a bed when a ring is involved.”
Leia waved her off. “Oh, my daughter would have you believe I’m some kind of a Puritan. But I assure you, we’re very modern in this house. And anyway, all the other rooms are spoken for, dear. I’m afraid your bed is the only one left.”
Rey found herself speechless, so it was Poe who answered, “Sounds good, Mrs. Organa-Solo. We’ll just drop these off and come back down.”
Poe’s gentle nudge to her back broke her out of her temporary paralysis, Rey leading the way towards the steps and her room beyond. Though not before she caught half the family trying to sneak a peek at the new boyfriend from around the corner.
“This way,” she said, tugging on his sleeve. Poe, ever the dedicated fake boyfriend, made a show of putting his hand on her lower back as she led them up the stairs, keeping it there long after they were out of view of her nosy family. Rey attempted to take deep, cleansing breaths, just barely succeeding before they made it to her bedroom door.
The room beyond was exactly as she left it last Christmas. Well, if she was being honest, it was pretty much the same as when she’d left for college.
Poe was looking around like he was in the museum of Rey, his eyes darting between the bulletin boards full of pictures and the rows upon rows of books piled three deep on the shelves.
She dropped her bag in the middle of the floor and turned to him. “I am so, so sorry. Never in a million years did I think she’d let us stay in the same room, let alone the same bed.”
“Rey…”
“Which absolutely does not need to happen.”
“Rey…”
“It’s no problem, I will take a pillow and sleep on the floor.”
“Rey!”
Her babbling cut off immediately as she blinked in shock.
“There you are,” he said, stepping forward to put a hand on either side of her arms. “Breathe. It’s not a big deal, we can just share the bed.”
“Share… the bed?” She didn’t mean for it to come out as a question, but here they were.
And it wasn’t like she hadn’t spent the last few sleepless nights daydreaming about this exact scenario. One bed. That soft look in his eyes. The realization that the person he’d been looking for had been right in front of him all along.
Though, it seemed that Poe had missed that memo. “It’s a big bed. And we can…” he trailed off, trying to find the solution. “Put up a wall of pillows or something. No touching required.”
Rey pretended that didn’t make her heart sink. “Exactly. We’re both adults, right?”
“Right.” For some reason, his face fell slightly at the word. But the easygoing smile she’d come to associate with him was back in a flash. “We should probably get downstairs before your mom comes looking. She seems…”
“Insane?”
He laughed, throwing an arm around her shoulders. “I was going to say determined, but that works, too.”
Rey found herself smiling all the way down the steps and into the living room.
“There they are!” declared Leia, clapping her hands twice. “Everyone, this is Poe. Poe, this is everyone.”
Rey had to laugh at the look of panic on his face when all seven pairs of eyes turned to him.
“Mom, you have to actually introduce people.”
“Well if you think you can do it better.” She gave the universal gesture for “go right ahead.”
So Rey started the rounds.
“This is my brother, Ben, and his husband, Armie.” Poe shook both of their hands in turn, Ben minding his manners for once. Then she added so only Poe could hear, “We like Armie way more than Ben, but don’t let him know that.”
They moved on to the two kids shaking gifts under the tree. “And these two little goblins are Ani and Brendan, my niece and nephew.”
“Hi, Mr. Poe!” said Ani. Since she was the oldest at six, she acted as the ambassador. “Merry Christmas!”
“Did you bring us presents?” At four, Brendan was a little more direct.
“Brendan! Manners,” snapped Armie, giving them a look.
Poe got down on one knee to bring himself to their level. “That’s ok. I think I might have a little something in my bag for you two.” He finished with a wink that had both kids giggling and eating out of his hand.
What a charmer.
“You didn’t have to do that,” she whispered when he stood back up.
He shrugged. “I wanted to. It’s just some chocolate. No big deal.”
But it was a big deal. A bigger deal than Rey wanted to make of it. So she moved on.
“And this is my Uncle Luke.” Then lower. “And yes, his face always looks like that.”
Poe took one look at the perma-scowl on Uncle Luke’s face and had to turn his snort into a cough before sticking out his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, too,” came Uncle Luke’s voice from beneath his beard, rough like he hadn’t used it in a while.
“And last but not least, this is my dad, Han Solo.”
Her dad gave him a long, appraising look, Poe looking less than comfortable for the first time that evening. Finally, he stuck out his hand. “Nice to meet you, kid.”
“And you, Mr. Solo.” His voice and words walked that perfect line between deference and respect, a hint of appreciation appearing on Han’s face.
“Not bad. And call me Han.” He turned his attention to Rey. “Get over here, kiddo.”
Rey went into his arms willingly, a daddy’s girl through and through. It didn’t hurt that he happened to be the only other sane member of their family, so naturally they had to stick together.
“Come on, come on!” came her mother’s voice from the kitchen. She appeared a second later. “We don’t want to be late. Cocoa’s ready, so grab a travel mug. And for the adults, pick your poison.”
Poe raised a brow in question.
“Spiked cocoa for the lights,” she said in response. “An Organa-Solo tradition.”
“It’s the only way to make it through a whole night with this clan,” her dad added.
Poe laughed. “Well, then sign me up.”
Ten minutes later, they were walking toward the town square, drinks in hand. Rey had never been more grateful for that mug full of cocoa and bourbon than when she realized it provided a perfect excuse for them not to hold hands. No sense in embarrassing herself.
But Poe stuck close anyway, sipping his own whipped-cream-vodka spiked treat. “This is gorgeous.”
Though his eyes were on her as he said it, he was definitely referring to the picturesque little town they were currently walking through. Yes, definitely that. Especially since the weather was cooperating for once with big, fat flakes of snow. Even she had to admit it looked like something out of a greeting card. Or maybe one of those Hallmark movies her dad liked so much.
And they hadn’t even hit the square.
“If you think this is pretty, you ain’t seen nothing yet.”
Poe grinned at her, his cheeks pink from either the cold or the booze. Finally, they rounded the last corner, the kids taking off in a shriek of glee.
“Stay close!” shouted Ben ahead of them, but there was no heat to his words. He and Armie walked arm in arm, Armie’s head resting peacefully on Ben’s shoulder.
Next to her, she heard a sharp intake of breath as the square came into view.
“Wow.” Poe’s voice was all breathy wonder, his eyes big as saucers as he took in the spectacle around them.
“Wow, indeed.”
It was a winter wonderland that surrounded them. Every building was outlined in brightest white, the trees surrounding the square wrapped in strands from top to bottom. Snowmen from the earlier contest lined one side of the street, the winner with a bright blue ribbon proudly displayed. Kids gathered at one end where there was snow painting and face painting and an empty throne where Santa would be sitting, if it weren’t his most important night of the year, of course. Vendors sat at the far end selling hot chocolate bombs and handmade ornaments and a few other goodies for the late shoppers of the bunch. And then there was the square itself, a walk-through display that started with the giant flashing arch in front of them.
Poe crooked an elbow. “Shall we?”
Rey’s smile was so wide her cheeks had started to ache. He really was good at this whole fake boyfriend thing. She hooked her arm through his and let him lead the way.
Though she’d been here every year practically since birth, the display felt different that night, seeing it as she was through Poe’s eyes. He looked in wonder as they passed the snowflakes, blinking in time to approximate the softly falling snow. They walked on, past the Frosty the Snowman and the animated snowball fight, all the way to the real working carousel made almost completely of lights.
Though you couldn’t ride it, it played a soft calliope version of “All I Want for Christmas is You,” the normally upbeat song striking a chord within her as they stood silently and watched.
“This is amazing,” he said softly, casually tossing an arm around her waist. They’d talked about this on that interminable drive, light physical affection, enough so it was believable and not so much that either of them were uncomfortable. A balance, one Poe was almost impossibly good at striking. “Like something out of a movie.”
Rey took another sip of cocoa, letting the bourbon burn on its way down. She had a notoriously heavy hand. But they didn’t call it liquid courage for nothing, because in the next moment Rey grew brave enough to rest her head on his shoulder. After all, she’d seen enough of those movies to know how they ended.
It was a nearly perfect moment. Of course it couldn’t last.
“Oh, you two are just so cute!” Her mom’s voice was suddenly right next to her. Rey’s head shot up. “Don’t stop on my account.”
Rey’s cheeks flamed in the dark, but Poe didn’t miss a beat. “This is a lovely tradition, Mrs. Organa-Solo.”
“Oh, call me Leia, dear. And we’re glad to have you along.” Leia looked up at Han, stars in her eyes. Rey thought she might have put her head on his shoulder as well, but she couldn’t actually reach. “We’ll leave you to it.”
Han was watching Poe with a careful, if slightly mistrustful eye - she was his little girl, after all - but with a little tug of encouragement from Leia they moved on, leaving Poe and Rey to their now-awkward silence.
“We can…” she trailed off, gesturing vaguely to keep going.
“Yeah. Yeah.”
So they made it through the rest of the lights without incident, stopping again at the giant gingerbread house and the Santa’s sleigh display that looked like it was taking off before finding her family over by the kids section.
“So, what’d you think?” asked Armie as they rejoined the group, the question obviously aimed at Poe.
“Amazing. So much more fun than what my dad and I normally do on Christmas Eve.”
“And what’s that?” Her mom was suddenly very interested in Christmas traditions. Almost as if she was sizing up Rey’s future in-laws.
“Well that would be midnight mass.” Poe gave a rueful smile. “Lots of incense.”
“Ah, unfortunately you won’t find much of that here,” answered Leia, and Rey nearly snorted. “But we do open one present each when we get back to the house.”
As if summoned by the very word “presents,” the kids came racing over shouting, “Gifts, gifts, gifts!”
“All right, all right, you little gremlins,” said her dad, picking one up under each arm. “Let’s get you home and into bed before Santa gets here.”
Which is how they found themselves in front of the tree twenty minutes later, everyone in matching pajamas. Well, besides Poe that is.
Ani and Brendan had each chosen a gift, a tea set and a firetruck, respectively, and now that the kids were satisfied, it was time for the adults.
Her mother dug a rather unobtrusive box out from under the tree, handing it over to Poe. “You first, dear.”
“Oh, Leia, thank you, but that really wasn’t necessary.”
Her mom waved him off. “It was, and you’ll see why in a second.”
Which they all did when Poe tore through the paper to reveal a set of pajamas that matched the rest of the family.
Poe immediately went over to hug her mom, Leia actually blushing a little. “Oh none of that. Couldn’t have you in the pictures tomorrow morning without the matching PJs, now could I?”
Naturally, Poe went above and beyond, just like he’d promised her. “I’m gonna go throw these on.” With a quick but chaste kiss to Rey’s cheek he was off, leaving her to the mercy of her family.
“What?” she snapped a second later when she realized everyone was staring at her. “Do I have something on my face?”
“You’re blushing,” Ben pointed out, an obnoxious little smirk on his face. No wonder she liked Armie more. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you blush.”
“Oh, leave her be.” Leia waved him off. “They’re obviously quite smitten with each other.”
Rey’s first knee-jerk reaction was to deny it, remembering just in time that they were supposed to be smitten with each other. You know, since they were together.
So she just had to take it when her mother added, “I mean, have you seen the way he looks at her? A little like someone else I know.” She turned to Han, who was indeed looking at her with a moony grin on his face.
Of course they would fall in love with her fake boyfriend. Then again, who didn’t fall in love with Poe Dameron? Look at her.
Thankfully, Poe chose that moment to return in all of his plaid pajamaed glory, rejoining their group in time to watch Han open a miniature version of his beloved old Ford Falcon and Leia a plush new pair of earmuffs, Luke seeming especially tickled (even by his standards) with his new robe. After Rey opened the gorgeous new leatherbound journal from her father, and Armie and Hux their coordinating sweaters, it was time for bed, the whole crew devolving into madness as they attempted to wrangle the two sugar-high children off to bed.
When the dust cleared, it was Poe and Rey left sitting by the tree as Leia attempted to clean up the carnage.
“Leave it, Mom. We’ll get it.” She attempted to prize some of the paper from her mother’s hands.
“Oh, are you sure? You had a long day, and the travel…”
Rey smiled. “I promise, I’ll be fine. Now get to bed.”
Leia gave her a wide smile, bending down to place a light kiss on Rey’s forehead. “Thank you. And don’t stay up too late you two. Big day tomorrow.” Her mom’s eyes sparkled in the lights of the Christmas tree, a little too mischievous for Rey’s liking. There was no mistaking the meaning of those words. But in the next moment, her face softened, no hint of a hidden meaning when she said, “Merry Christmas, you two.”
“Merry Christmas, Mom.”
“Merry Christmas, Leia.” Poe’s voice struck just the right chord. Good lord, he was good at this. “And thanks again for having me.”
Leia immediately waved him off. “Oh, it’s no bother at all. Good night.”
And then there were two.
Rey sighed, leaning back against the couch. It felt good to relax for a second, all the pretense of the evening dropped now that everyone else was in bed.
“That was…” started Poe, Rey jumping in immediately to finish the sentence.
“Intense. I know.”
Next to her, Poe chuckled. “I was going to say ‘nice,’ but intense works too.”
“Thank you by the way. For all of this. I know my family is a lot.”
“I don’t know, I think they’re sweet. Caring. It’s obvious they love you a lot.” The way he was looking at her, with an impossible kind of fondness, made it hard to look away. So she didn’t. “Guess we all have that in common.”
The words hung in the air for a breathless second.
Apparently a second too long. “Hey.” Poe gave a nervous little chuckle. “I’m kind of pouring my heart out here. Don’t leave me hanging.”
“You… love me?” She tried the words out, still finding them to be a little unfamiliar in her mouth.
“Probably from the first moment I met you.” He took a look at whatever crossed her face and let out a breath, scrubbing his hand over his face. “And now I’ve scared you. Listen, we can go back to before I opened my big mouth, pretend this never happened…”
Her brain finally caught up with the rest of her, the words coming out in a jumble. “I’minlovewithyoutoo.”
“You are?” Those two words contained so much hope, Rey couldn’t help but smile as she nodded.
“I am.”
To Rey’s complete surprise, he immediately dove under the tree. When he reappeared a second later, there was a small, square, flat box in his hands. “I know we said no presents, but I couldn’t resist. Nothing big, I promise.”
But it was big when she opened the box, one of the little bangle bracelets she loved nestled inside.
“Poe, it’s perfect,” she practically breathed, sliding the bracelet on right then and there. She looked up at his soft smiles, eyes sparkling in the lights of the tree. “But all I want for Christmas is you.”
Poe’s smile went wide, a tiny web of crinkles appearing at either eye. “I think that can be arranged.”
His hand came up to cup her cheek, impossibly gently in the soft glow of the lights. His thumb swiped once, twice, three times, the sweet, sweet anticipation building with each pass. There was a smile on his lips when he finally brought them to hers, just as soft and plush and perfect as she’d always imagined.
And when it was over, he rested his forehead against hers that smile never leaving his face. “That was nice.”
Rey’s cheeks ached from her own grin. “It was. We should probably do it again.”
Poe laughed. “Something tells me we aren’t going to need that pillow wall.”
And when the next morning Rey came downstairs dressed and ready for the big day, her new bracelet jingling on her wrist, it was Finn who immediately pulled her aside.
“Someone’s looking extra jolly this morning,” he said, a somewhat knowing look on his face.
Rey tried and failed to tamp down her smile. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“That’s fine. Keep your secrets.” Finn crossed his arms, fixing her with a look he must have learned from her mother. “Just make sure I get credit on the wedding invites.”