HE WAS at the door of her quarters the following morning. Poe had decided to be a gentlemen and bring her a cup of caff and even offered to walk Amara to her meeting. The walk together was nice. He held her hand and for a brief moment, she felt as if they had a normal couple moment. Him waiting for her, bringing her some morning caff, and walking her to her meeting. But Amara knew it was only limited. He was here for a week, maybe a few days extra by Leia's orders.

"How'd you sleep?" Poe asks her.

Amara looks up at him.

Honestly, not well. She kept thinking about a lot. Rey. The man from her vision. Her conflict with her brother. The war. Everything.

"I slept fine, Poe." Amara lied to his face.

Poe gives a small smile, "I'm glad." He adds, "Has the nightmares gone away?"

Amara frowns, "Have they've gone away for you?"

Poe says nothing, but sort of grimace.

Amara knew that was a low blow to say to him, but he asked first. She knew he still has nightmares from the Finalizer and the sort of abuse he underwent by Kylo Ren, the same sort of demons haunting his slumber is what haunts Amara. Sometimes it isn't the war and Amara knew that. Sometimes for Poe, it's his past. A past Amara didn't know a lot of. Sometimes for Amara it was her family, before it fell apart.

"They never seem to fully go away, Poe, but I have good nights and sometimes bad nights." Amara tells him.

Poe only nods.

Amara glanced up at him and then to the cup of caff he had brought to her this morning. She glanced over to him.

"What are you in store for today?" Amara asks.

Poe shrugs his shoulders, "I have to teach some new recruits straight out of the New Republic how to properly clean their X-Wing. All these kids know how to do is pilot." He says.

Amara gives a small grin, "Isn't that what we want? New pilots?" She asks.

Poe nods, "I mean yes, but if they don't know how their ship works how else would they survive if the worst happens to them on a mission." He says.

Amara shrugs, "I don't know, Poe. That's why you're the teacher and I am not."

Poe gives a charming smile, "But you get to have fun playing politics." He adds.

Amara and Poe had exited the Tantive IV. They were near the command center, which is where Amara was going to be spending the first half of her day, until she manages to escape for an hour or so to just be alone as her spot.

Amara groans, "Meetings with senators is not fun." She says.

Poe placed a supportive grasp on her shoulder, "It just shows Leia is showing you the ropes for the future." He grins, "I am glad she trusts the Resistance in someone else's hands."

Amara glanced at him.

He didn't know. He didn't know that Leia had chosen him as her successor. She knew though, Amara didn't feel it was within her rights to tell Poe that. She felt as if that was the sort of thing her mother should tell Poe.

Amara softly smiles, "Same."

{RISE OF SKYWALKER}

THE MEETINGS go exactly how Amara had expected. Long and exhausting. She managed to sneak away after being locked in meetings for four hours. She didn't go far, but instead was sitting outside the cave looking at the sky. She'd rather be training with Anakin. Or better yet just talking to him. Hearing stories from him made her feel closer to something. Sometimes, she felt detached from her mother. Leia was far too focused on the war. On the Resistance.

And sure, it wasn't a bad thing. Stopping the First Order is their main goal. Restoring peace int he galaxy is their mission. But Amara missed when she was fifteen and the times, she and her mother would hang out in the kitchen on the past Resistance base and eat snacks late in the evenings when everyone was in their quarters for the evenings.

Amara exhaled and kept her gaze on the sky. The pure blue sky was something that made her feel relaxed, that and a nice cool breeze, or a starry night.

"Everything okay, Amara?"

Amara turns to the person behind that voice.

It was Finn.

Amara gives the man a small smile, "Just escaping for a bit before reporting back to some other holoconfidernce."

Finn lets out a small laugh, "Sounds like I am lucky to be stuck in the medical tent for now." He says, "Politics is that bad?"

Amara kept her glance on him, "What do you think?"

Finn kept the smile on his face and sat down next to her. In her time with Finn, the two have become friends. Not nearly as tight as Poe and Finn, those two can barely be apart from one another half the time.

"Amara," Finn's smile sort of fades, "I have something to ask you."

Amara glanced at him, "What is it?"

"It's Poe." Finn says.

Amara kept her gaze on him, "What about Poe?"

Finn sighs, "While we were on our missions away from base I- I noticed some things about him." Finn rubs the back of his neck, "It's probably nothing."

Amara shakes her head, "You're being a concerned friend, Finn. If you're worried about something, its okay to tell someone." She says, "So what have you been noticing?"

Finn shrugs, "Well uh- I guess it's not surprise that he has been ranging between four to six hours of sleep."

Amara nods.

"I- I know he still holds a lot of guilt from the Raddus on his shoulders." Finn's frown deepens, "I recall a night where I woke up and overheard him pacing in his quarters and reassuring himself he was never going to question Leia again."

Amara frowns and looks up at the sky. The mutiny hasn't been something Poe can just walk away from, even though everyone in the Resistance has moved on from it. Poe seems to be lingering in the past.

"He doesn't think he can be what Leia wants," Finn says, "I heard- I heard him say that to himself."

Amara glanced back at Finn, "He isn't my mom, but he is a leader." She looks up at the sky, "This has shaken him. Shaken him to his core, but- but I believe he'll get pass this."

Finn kept his eyes on her, "You think so?"

Amara nods and turns to look at him, "I know so."

Finn couldn't help but smile, "Through the Force?"

Amara shakes her head, "No, because I know this pilot quite well." She smiles.

{RISE OF SKYWALKER}

HE SKIPPED dinner. Poe was by his X-Wing. He was holding a wrench in one hand as he was trying to fix the engine. Apparently from a test flight by a recruit they messed something up, so Poe was taking it upon himself to fix it himself. BB-8 was next to him. The small droid was beeping him him. Telling him how much fun he was missing. How he was missing Friend Finn and Friend Amara.

Poe grimace at the thought of Amara briefly.

It wasn't that things between them, but Poe had some thought regarding Amara and their future if there was a future between them. He had thought about proposing to Amara at one point. He knows Amara knows, because of her weird Jedi eye reading sensing voodoo thing that Poe doesn't quite understand.

Poe grabs a towel and rubs the oil off his face.

"So this is where you're lurking," Spoke none other than Leia.

Poe lifts his gaze to the woman, "General Organa- uh Leia-," He stands.

Leia held her hand out and shakes her head, indicating that he doesn't need to be formal with her. He sat back down on the ground and watched as Leia too sat down on the ground next to him. Leia patted BB-8 on the top of his head before her attention turns to Poe.

"Amara was wondering where you were during dinner," Leia says.

Poe scratches the back of his neck, "I needed to attend to my X-Wing."

Leia scoffs, "Someone can fix that for you," She says, "After all, once your little grounding is over, I am sending you on another mission."

Poe glanced at her, "A solo one?"

Leia shakes her head, "You can't do solo missions anymore, Dameron. You are a noticeable face by the First Order now." She says.

Poe sort of frowns.

"You will return to piloting for the Resistance soon," She says, "I know how much you want to do for the Resistance."

Poe nods.

"But please, Poe, do not make this war the only important thing in your life." Leia says, "There is so much in life you ought to want to do than fight in this war."

Poe nods and ran his hand through his hair, "Actually there is."

Leia gives him a supportive smile, "I give you permission."

Poe looks at him a bit confused, "I beg your pardon, Leia. I don't know what you're talking about."

Leia reached over and cupped the man's face, "I've always saw you as a son, Dameron. You've always been family. And if there is a day that you wish to make an honest woman out of Amara, then I give you permission to marry my daughter." She says.

Poe sat there stunned.

Leia couldn't help but laugh, "I know Han probably would've interrogated you for hours and hours. He was always such a protective man when it came to his little girl."

Poe sat there with his general in a sort of silence as she laughs at the mere mention of her late husband. Poe reached up and fumbled with his mother's wedding ring. He held onto it. Not even noticing that his general was looking at him. Leia sees her pilot holding onto the late Shara Bey's ring.

Poe glanced at her, "I- I have thought about it," He admits, "And I think she knows. She knows that I've at least thought about purposing in the future to her."

Leia sits in silence to listen to the pilot.

"On Lothal. She must've indirectly sensed it or read the truth through her eyes reading Force thing," Poe says, "And I think it might've scared her. I don't know if she really wants that."

Leia reached over and held onto the man's hand, "She's young. She's afraid, yes. But not of you. The future has never been something Amara has really ever thought about."

Poe watches the older woman smiles grimly.

"She never thought about her future as a child and she certainly didn't think much about her future as a teenager." Leia laughs bitterly, "After her brother- well the Resistance was all she thought about. That is until she had friends."

Leia adjusts herself on the ground. Her gaze goes up toward the sky and a smile appears on her lips. Poe follows her gaze.

"She'll say yes, Poe. She'll say it if you ask." Leia says and then glanced over, "When you're ready, of course."

Poe nods looking at her, "Of course."

{RISE OF SKYWALKER}

HE FINDS her exactly where he had expected to. She had sneaked away from base, but did notify Leia, and went to her spot. He had climbed up the rock formation and finds her sitting on the edge. She had her knees to her chest and her gaze staring at the endless horizon.

"Found me," Amara says.

Poe was not startled by this. Sometimes, Leia does that. Notice his presence before making himself known. Must be a Skywalker thing or a Jedi thing.

"Yeah, I- I sorta figured you'd be here." Poe says with a lighthearted smile on his face.

He walks over to the edge and sat next to her. He notices the frown on her face, she was thinking. About what, Poe doesn't have the answers but he knows it's something that seems to be bothering her.

"Sorry about missing dinner," Poe starts saying, "I was caught up working on my X-Wing."

Amara shakes her head, "No need to explain it, Poe. It's fine." She says.

Poe frowns and glanced at the horizon. He sees the stars in the big and endless sky. He loved counting the stars while he would be napping in his X-Wing cockpit instead of his own quarters. But this wasn't D'Qar and he isn't a rookie pilot.

"No- No it's not," Poe ran a hand through his hair, "I- I just wanted to be alone."

Amara kept her frown, "I get it." She says, "Coming here to isolate myself from the base. It's been therapeutic, but at the same time I've haven't handled my issues."

Poe looks at her.

"My father's death, the Raddus, nearly loosing my mother, Crait, Lothal." Her eyes move to him, "It's a lot of trauma that I haven't quite figured out what to do with it."

Poe nods, "Yeah. War will do that." He finds himself saying.

Amara nods and moved her gaze, "I know." She sighs, "I know."

Poe reaches over and holds onto her hand, "I wasn't avoiding you. I'd never do that, Amara. It's just as I said I wanted to be alone and think." He says.

Amara look at him, "I know." She says and glanced back at him, "We both haven't been completely honest about how we're fully doing, have we?"

Poe shrugs, "I- I guess not."

Amara sighs, "I'm troubled with something through the Force, but I cannot tell you what it is about." She says.

"Amara," He says.

"Poe, I mean it. I promised that I would not say," She says, "It is not for me to speak about."

Poe just nods.

Amara squeezed his hand that held onto her hand. He kept his eyes locked on her as did Amara. She exhaled and then shakes her head.

"I know that you know about me wanting to propose." Poe says.

Amara's eyes widen.

Poe gives a small smile, "I wasn't planning on anything now for obvious reasons, but now may not be the right time to ask you." He lightly laughs, "Given we're both dealing with our own unique trauma."

"Poe," Amara reached out with her other hand.

Poe kept his smile and shakes his head, "No, it's fine. Really. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Amara. I've- I've been with many species of women, that is no surprise and none of them hold a candle to you."

Amara kept her eyes on him, "All of the women, eh? So does that also include Z-?"

Poe cuts her off, "Yes including her."

Amara nods and eyes him, "Are you ever going to tell the others about her? Or that other part of your life?" She asks.

Poe ran his hand through his hair, "Why?"

"Why?" Amara asks, "Because you told me."

Poe glanced at her, "To be fair we were both drunk and all three of us were sharing stuff from our past that we'd rather not discuss."

Poe was right. Him, Amara, and Vira spent time drinking and talking about who probably had the worst past. Amara was shocked to learn that son of war heroes had something beyond being a pilot in the New Republic Navy.

Amara kept her gaze on him, "You were a different person then," She says, "We all change, Poe."

Poe frowns, "You weren't too proud of your past mistake."

"Because it was that," Amara says, "A mistake."

She knew what he was talking about, when she was thirteen and how she had sneaked onto the Falcon to spend extra time with Chewie and Han. Turns out when Han found her, he was not thrilled. He was in the middle of a job. A smuggling job. A job that ended messy and the first time Amara saw how grim the world was.

And how her error caused a man his life.

Amara frowns, "Finn and Rey wouldn't think less of you." She says, "You were a teenager when you did that. I was a young kid when I tried to be like my dad. They'd understand."

Poe shakes his head sighing, "But I wasn't trying to be like Kes. I ran away from home. I was trying to get far away from him and my mom's legacy. I- I just wanted to pilot. And I wanted to make my own path."

Amara gives a small smile, "And you did," She says, "It took a few bumps but you got there. And that is just a reminder of the person you use to be. It's what made you to the man you are today. To the man I fell in love with."

Poe nods.

"Poe Dameron," Amara says, "I love you and your past doesn't change it."

Poe gives her a small smile.

Amara leans over and kisses him on the lips briefly before pulling away. She gives him a small smile as she stares into his dark eyes. He and her smile at each other under the starry night.

"We should probably go before Leia sends out a search party." Poe says, "I promised I'd get you back to base."

Amara grins, "Knowing my luck it'll be your pilots coming to get me." Amara stands, "And Snap would complain the entire time."

Poe laughs as he gets up, "Sounds like him."

The couple walk to the side where they climb up to climb back to the ground. As they no longer could see on the top of the rocky formation.

Appearing under the starry night was two Force ghost.

Anakin Skywalker.

Luke Skywalker.

"Think she'll be okay?" Luke asks with a concerned look.

Anakin turns to him, "If you're worried about her then reach out to her, son." He tells him.

Luke grimace.

"I do not fully understand this all, Luke, but if you wish to speak to your niece allow yourself to do so. Or else she'll keep believing you never really cared." Anakin says.

"Of course I cared. I- I still care." Luke says.

Anakin shakes his head, "Don't tell me. Tell Amara." Anakin says.