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“I still don’t get what the big deal with George Lucas is,” Amaya says after their trip to the 60s, over dinner with Mick in the galley. “I mean, how much influence could a movie director really have over the future?”
Mick lets out a chuckle. “You don’t understand. He didn’t just make movies, he made phenomenons. Those Indiana Jones movies I showed you were only the tip of the iceberg. The real winner was Star Wars.”
“‘Star Wars’?” Amaya says, raising an eyebrow at the name. “What’s that?”
Mick grins. “Another film series. One of the best actually, ask anyone on this ship. It’s a bit complicated, though. It started out with three movies, also known as episodes four through six Then came the prequels, one through three, which sucked—”
Amaya cuts him off, holding up a hand. “Why were four through six created first, if they take place after one through three?”
Mick shrugs. “Hell if I know. Maybe Lucas knew from the start that they wouldn’t do as well, so he waited to make them until after the series was already popular. Anyway, they recently released the first part of episodes seven through nine, which is okay, I guess. Snart dragged me off to see it before we left 2016.”
Amaya’s surprised at the casual use of Snart’s name. She’d heard from the crew that Mick used to have a partner in crime who died on the mission, but no one mentions him much, least of all Mick. “Really?”
Mick snorts. “Yeah. He loved those movies. I think he always wanted to be Han Solo, deep down. Guess that means I’m stuck as Chewbacca.”
“So what are the movies actually about?” Amaya asks.
“I could tell you, or I could show you,” Mick says. “Honestly, it’d probably be easier just to show you, but,” he holds a finger up, “there’s just one thing. If we watch this, we mute the opening music.”
“Why?” Amaya asks, confused.
“It’s geek bait,” Mick mutters. “If Nate or Ray hear it—hell, Jax, even—it’s going to be a very long night.”
“If you wanted me all to yourself, you only had to ask,” Amaya says with a smirk, pushing back her empty plate. She could swear she sees Mick blush for a second, a rare sight. She raises her eyebrows, and he smiles back at her.
“You got me,” he says, leaning over to kiss her on the lips. It’s short but sweet, and she smiles even as they both pull back, though there’s no one around to stop them from going further.
They’re trying to take it slow, though; Amaya because she’s still hurting from Rex (and belongs to a different era), Mick because he hasn’t really been in a serious romantic relationship before and is still learning to let his guard down.
“So Star Wars?” he asks, pushing back his chair. Amaya nods, and they both stand up. As they walk out of the kitchen and down the metal-lined hallway, something odd happens. Mick takes Amaya’s hand in his, entire of his own volition. Usually it’s the other way around, but Amaya’s not complaining. She laces her slender fingers with his thick ones, happy that he’s wearing gloves a little less now.
As they head for Mick’s room, they run into Jax, who’s in the middle of repairs. But instead of looking confused or exasperated like Nate and Ray, he just smiles knowingly.
“Gray, you owe me twenty bucks,” he says under his breath. Mick raises his eyebrows in surprise, but he’s not really offended.
“You and the professor keeping bets about us?” he asks gruffly. Jax shrugs, not intimidated in the least.
“He said it’d take another month for you two to officially get together. I said it’d take a week or two.” Jax smiles, twirling a wrench in his hands. “It was Grey’s idea to bet, actually. He’s a romantic, deep down. Under layers of pompousness and, y’know, science equations.”
“So how’d you know?” Amaya says, glancing at him. “Was it just the hand-holding?”
“Well . . . “ Jax starts, his voice going an octave higher than usual. “We might’ve asked Gideon if she saw anything going on between you two. But we didn’t watch or anything.”
Amaya rolls her eyes, dragging Mick down the hallway. “Unbelievable. Did you guys gossip about each other this much before I was on board?”
Mick shrugs. “Probably. There was a few weeks where everyone thought I was dead, so that must’ve been a fun topic of conversation.” She just stares at him. “Long story. I’ll tell you about it later.”
She wants to ask about it, but decides to wait. She makes her way to Mick’s room, but before she can enter, Mick lets go of her hand to open the door for her. She can’t help but smile at the act. It’s a small thing, but it’s so kind and out of character that it makes her want to kiss him again, because she’s pretty sure he wouldn’t do it for anyone but her.
They make their way over to the couch like clockwork. Amaya lies on top of Mick, his arms wrapped around her possessively, her legs intertwined with his in equal fierceness. She smiles, leaning up to kiss him on the jaw as the first movie starts, then tucks her head under his. She nuzzles him and inhales deeply, taking in his intoxicating scent.
“Easy, tiger,” he says, gently. “You’re gonna make me forget about the movie altogether.”
The movie opens with an on-screen backstory, written in bold golden lettering. After the explanation is over, Mick tells Gideon it’s safe to turn the sound back on, and the real action begins. Amaya’s drawn into the story quickly, particularly loving the idea of a tough, female leader of the rebellion.
She scoffs at Han Solo’s come-ons to Leia, but still smiles when she sees them onscreen together. And in a way, “the force” reminds her of the power she herself channels from the animal spirits. It’s not the same, of course, but it’s similar. The totem only chooses to bond with a few, just as the force is only strong with a few.
The real shock comes at the end of The Empire Strikes Back, when she finds out the truth about Vader.
“He was Luke's dad all along?” she asks, turning to glance at Mick. “That’s messed up.”
Mick sighs. “Just wait.”
So she does. She watches the sixth movie, chuckling at the Eowoks and giving Mick another look of surprise when Leia turns out to be Luke’s sister. I am so glad my family isn't that crazy, she thinks. But even that reveal isn’t the most astonishing part of the movie. No, that comes when Vader turns on Palpatine to save Luke, ultimately redeeming himself even as he dies.
As the credits roll, Amaya swears she could hear Mick sniffing. “Are you okay?”
He lets out a sigh. “Yeah, it’s just—there’s something you don’t know about me, and watching Vader reminded me of it. I did a lot of things as a criminal that I know weren’t right, and I’m okay with that. But, once, I crossed the line. And I almost didn’t come back. The team doesn’t talk about it often . . . but you should probably know.”
“Only if you’re ready to tell me,” she replies gently, as Gideon’s projector turns off.
“I am,” he says softly. “It started because me and Snart got in a fight on the trip to the future. We were in Star City, but it’d all gone to shit. Snart wanted to leave, but I wanted to stay. I liked the chaos, and I liked being in control. But he knocked me out and took me back to the ship instead of letting me choose. I was pissed, pissed that he was starting to actually care about the mission.
“Then we got attacked by pirates and I got captured. I was angry, both because of what Snart did and some things Rip said, and I wanted to survive. So I made a deal to turn on the team. I offered Snart a chance to join me, but he refused, and we fought.
“I lost. Snart dragged me to some spot in the middle of nowhere, I don’t even know what time period it was. He meant to kill me, but he couldn’t do it. So he left me there. I waited for years, going crazy. And then someone found me.
“See, before we protected the timeline, there were these guys with the same job called the time masters. Real bastards, actually. Anyway, they found me. They trained me, turned me into a weapon. Gave me a suit of armor, my own ship, even a new name. Turned me into a bounty hunter and told me to hunt down my former friends. So I did.”
“Eventually the team caught me, threw me in the brig, saying they’d figure out some way to rehabilitate me or whatever. But one day, Snart decided he’d had it. He walked into my cell, saying that we’d fight. And if I killed him, I was free to leave. And I would’ve. I was inches away from doing it, and he barely even fought back. But in the end, I couldn’t do it. And somehow, I became a part of the team again.” He lets out a sigh. “But that didn’t change what I’d done.”
“As hypocritical as it is for someone on a timeship to say, you can’t change the past,” Amaya says softly, pressing close to him. “But that’s not who you are any more. The Mick Rory I know would die to protect his teammates, no matter what happens. You’re like . . . like Anakin. Someone took your anger and used it to turn you into a weapon. But you found your way back from it, without having to die.”
“Not for lack of trying,” he mutters. Amaya turns around, wrapping her hands around Mick’s face, forcing him to look her in the eye.
“Well, I’d appreciate it if you stop. I don’t want another idiot I care about ending up in a coffin,” she says, her nails digging into his skin. She leans in close. “Besides, if you did die, I’d have to have Ray lead your funeral service.”
“You wouldn’t.”
She leans even closer, licking her lips. “Try me, Mick Rory.” This time he makes the first move, pulling her down to kiss him and wrapping his arms around her delicate waist. His mouth opens, and she’s all too happy to reciprocate with hers. As she gets a taste of him, she runs her nails down, from his head to his neck, digging them in as much as she can.
Just as she’s getting comfortable, Mick decides it’s time to flip her over. This time, though, he’s careful to stay on the couch. She surges up to meet him, letting out a moan as he kisses her neck, taking his time before letting go to recapture her lips. The truth is, as much as Amaya wants to set boundaries, every time she kisses Mick Rory, she loses a little more of her control.
The funny thing is, their sizes are so different, he could practically crush her, but Amaya isn’t worried about it in the least. They’re so close she can feel his heartbeat, frantic and out control. She’s got him right where she wants him. And as her lips move against his, she can’t feel like, in spite of everything, she’s home.
And when it’s time for them to split up into different groups on the next mission, and he says “I love you”, she’s sure of it, and there’s only one thing to say:
“I know.”