He found her in the med bay - though it was hardly big enough to be called a bay - sat cross-legged on the bed and staring at a pair of lightsabres she'd placed on it.

"Am I interrupting?" Poe asked carefully.

Rey shook her head tiredly. "No." She admitted, looking up. Still covered in ash, bruises and tiny cuts from their earlier fight with some bandits - Poe imagined he looked to be in a similar mess - but the large gash from a vibroblade on her leg had been healed at least. "Are you okay?" She asked.

"Came for a medpac." He admitted, making his way into the room properly to rummage through cupboards to find what he was looking for. Hanging his jacket up on... something so he could apply the medpac onto the wound on his ribs. Rey frowned at the injury. "It's not as bad as it looks." Poe promised.

"You shouldn't hide your injuries, we can't help if we don't know."

"I could say the same to you." Poe reminded her, teeth gritted at the familiar sting of kolto accelerated healing. Rey dropped her gaze. "Sorry, that was uncalled for."

"No, you're right." She admitted softly. A familiar silence fell between them as Poe inspected what was left of his injury, before grabbing gauze, antiseptic and sticking plaster so he could bind up the shallow cut that was left. "Do you want help?" Rey asked.

"No, I'm good." Poe retorted. "Besides, you probably have cold fingers." He teased, making her laugh as he rolled up his undershirt enough to apply the gauze and sticking tape.

"Because we can't have the big, brave General Poe Dameron squealing at someone's cold fingers, can we?"

"Exactly." Poe agreed, knowing full well she was mocking him, but it made her smile, and she needed that right now. Besides, they both knew he wasn't as full of himself as he liked to act.

He had started tidying up when she finally spoke again. "Do you know who these belong to?" She suddenly asked, indicating the lightsabres before her.

"Isn't this the one Master Skywalker gave to you?" Poe asked, indicating to one.

Rey nodded. "He gave both of them to me, but this one belong to General Organa." She explained, then sighed. "I used my connection with Ben to give it to him so he could help me on Exegol." She added. "I don't even know how that worked, we could communicate between planets in our minds - as if we were in the same room -, even exchange physical items. I... It's strange that it's not there any more."

Poe could barely imagine that level of closeness, no intimacy was probably closer. To be in someone's mind so strongly it was like a physical presence. He pulled on his jacket again as he moved a bit closer. "Strange good or strange bad?" He asked.

Rey looked up with big, fearful eyes. "I don't know." She admitted. "At first it wasn't bad, I thought I was bringing him to the light, then he betrayed me and used it to try and lure me to the dark. That felt like an abuse, but in retrospect no worse than what I did to him. But then, in the end, that connection saved me. It always let me see Ben and not Kylo."

"You miss him." It wasn't an accusation, and Poe even surprised himself that he was able to say that so gently.

Rey nodded. "I... I think I loved him." She finally admitted with tears in her eyes.

Poe managed to resist the sigh he wanted to give out at that. He had suspected, but now she had confirmed it. This was why she refused to talk to Finn. They all know Finn was sweet on her - especially after his almost confession - she didn't want to hurt him and certainly didn't want to find out his reaction to finding out she fell for someone like Kylo Ren. "I think he might have done too." Poe eventually agreed. "He gave his life for you after all."

"I know." Rey admitted, quickly wiping her face with a hand. Not quite sure why she was finally saying all this, or to Poe of all people, but now she had started she couldn't stop. "When he brought me back, I was in his arms, it felt... right. I kissed him." Even though she was almost crying she couldn't stop the small blush gracing her cheeks at the admission. "He looked so happy, relieved. Then... then his strength gave out, and he..." She couldn't voice it. The way he had gone from so happy and content in one instant to pain and defeated as he died. It had all happened so suddenly.

Poe crouched at the foot of the bed, so she had to look at him, and placed a hand on her arm. "I don't think he regretted a thing." He assured her. "I know that doesn't help, and it won't stop you hurting." He added. "But sometimes we have to find comfort where we can, and maybe one day, you'll stop associating that happy moment with the sad ones."

"I hope so." Rey agreed. "But they're... intertwined." Poe nodded sadly. She wiped away her tears again. "Have you ever lost someone you loved?"

Poe nodded. "But I never had a connection like that." He admitted. "Even if you'd still been enemies at the end, I think you'd have been mourning him too."

"Maybe." Rey half agreed, she knew he had a point, but she honestly couldn't say if he was right or not. "Does it ever stop hurting?" She didn't need to ask if it got easier, she'd already had long enough to know that.

"Not exactly." Poe admitted. "But eventually it becomes possible to remember the good rather than the bad." He explained, Rey nodded, but they both knew that might not apply in this case. However, they both knew he could only comment on his own experiences.

After another moment Rey had managed to stop her tears, and Poe released her arm as he stood back up. He turned to continue tidying up and in the short space of time it took him to finish and turn back around Rey was nodding to herself. "I think I want my own lightsabre." She decided, looking back up at him.

He recognised that look, a turning point, as if to say it's time to stop holding on. The fall might be worse, but you'd decided you were strong enough to find out.