Hey guys, so this is my first time writing a Star Wars fic, so I'll gladly take suggestions and any help I can get:) After seeing TLJ I'm such a Reylo shipper, but in the beginning this story *maybe* will have a healthy dose of Rey and Poe. This story starts a few months after the events of TLJ. Enjoy:)

In Plain Sight

Chapter 1

Beginnings

Rey, once apprentice to Luke Skywalker, integral member of the Resistance, and Jedi-in-training, slumped into her chair and ran a hand through her smooth, dark hair, which was rarely loose as it was now. She brought a hand to her face and rested her head there in a stance that seemed utterly broken. Sitting in her dark, spacious quarters on the new Resistance base, Rey felt swallowed by the emptiness. A small amount of light entered the room and filtered to cast forlorn shadows across the floor. The Resistance was at a standstill. With no word from outside allies and a force that was too small to make a direct attack, they were at an impasse. They were lucky enough to have even reached the snow planet of Hoth, using the last of the Falcon's fuel to land near the abandoned Rebel base. Rey had run a thousand and one ideas through her mind, none of which had quite clicked as the "perfect" solution to combat the First Order. The Resistance was like a fire, burning so bright at first, but it grew dimmer and dimmer as time went on. They needed a spark, a spark of hope. But more than hope, they needed a plan. They needed something tangible, even a small victory to restore the fighting spirit among the battered members.

Rey couldn't fathom what it would take to get the Resistance back in its feet. The deaths of many friends, allies, and trusted leaders during the escape to Crait was never far from everyone's thoughts. The base seemed to stretch on for eternity without the full strength of the Resistance within its walls. She'd had such hope that day on Crait, seeing the fire in Leia Organa's eyes. Since then, hope had been at an all time low. It was hard to come by in times like these.

Perhaps even more importantly, they were severely low on firepower. It seemed that their allies had abandoned them.

Tired of such lethargy, Rey rose from her seat, shoving it back with such force that it almost toppled over. She quickly twisted her hair into a braid that rested over her right shoulder and donned a simple, soft grey tunic and black leggings. Leaving her empty room behind, she stalked toward the dining hall.

Weaving her way through the complicated twists and turns of the base, her footsteps echoed through empty halls. The silence was deafening. There was no laughter, no chatter, only the silence, which threatened to crush her. The emptiness, combined with the cold climate of the planet Hoth, gave the abandoned base an overall dreary feeling, a feeling of...death. She shook the eerie feeling of death when she stepped out of the dim halls and into the well-lit space they'd adopted as the dining hall. She estimated that most of the tiny Resistance force was gathered here, chattering and mulling about. Most people still avoided her meeting her eyes, and mumbled a hasty greeting. Many treated her as if she was some great mystery, a puzzle to be pieced together. She guessed that people were uneasy around her because of her power with the force. To them, she was an enigma.

This only added to the crushing weight of loneliness she had felt since Luke had left this world. She had no one to share the burden of the force with since she'd lost her Master. And since she'd lost...no. She wouldn't let her thoughts go there. To him. Instead, she cast her eyes around the room, searching for a distraction from her thoughts, and her eyes finally rested upon the few people she could relax around. Poe Dameron, the charming, handsome pilot, Finn, her easygoing pal, and Rose, her newest companion, were relaxing around a table in the corner of the hall, polishing off their meals. Her gloomy mood lifted and her problems slid to the back of her mind at the sight of her friends.

She walked to them, an easy grin lighting up her pretty features, "Well isn't this a sorry bunch," she teased.

"Well, it's not like there's much to do 'round here," Finn retorted, chunks of food falling from his full, open mouth, "except eat."

Rey let out a small chuckle at the sight and sat gracefully in the chair across from Poe, his signature smirk twisting his features when he looked up at her.

"Well how nice of you to grace us with your presence, princess."

She rolled her eyes and chucked a grape at him, "How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?"

He chuckled with his typical smugness, his dark eyes alight with laughter and easily dodged the flying grape.

"At least once more, I'm afraid."

Rey just shook her head, knowing she'd never have the last word with Poe. She glanced up at him, now easily bantering back and forth with Finn. They'd connected the instant they met, him, a roguish charmer, not unlike Han Solo himself, and her, the apparent hope of the Resistance. He had been her saving grace since the battle on Crait, showing her around the base, keeping her up to date on the news of the First Order's actions, and just keeping her company when she was feeling alone in the world, which happened to be quite often. With Luke gone, there was no one to share the weight of her force powers. Poe would never be that for her, but he did make her feel less lonely. Yes, there was Leia, but Rey needed a teacher, someone to hone her skills and teach her the ways of the Jedi.

She groaned inwardly at the thought of the Jedi.

I'm their only hope and I've had what, days of training? What I need is a teacher! I can't be what they need me to be. I can't do it alone. I can't teach a new generation of Jedi when I should be in training myself!

These were the thoughts that haunted Rey. She was truly alone, or at least she felt that she was. Everyone expected her to be this hero, this legendary thing, but she had lost her purpose when her Master had died. Her sense of direction was obliterated on Crait. She didn't want to let them down, but she couldn't help but feel she already had.

Her thoughts turned to Han Solo, who she was reminded of every time she was around Poe, which only served to deepen her melancholy mood. Her thoughts wandered to the memories she had of the charming hero, who she hadn't known for long, but had clung to as a friend, a mentor, and even a father figure. She dropped her gaze from the handsome face of Poe Dameron to stare the table in front of her. The Resistance had lost so much.

Han would know what to do, she thought. He always had.

"Rey, are you listening to anything we're saying?"

Finn's exasperated question cut through her thoughts.

"Oh uh, um," she stumbled, caught wallowing in her self pity.

"Yeah that's what I thought," Finn put her out of her misery, replying before she could embarrass herself further, "We were just talking about the General's meeting today. Supposedly she has a plan to strike back against the First Order. We haven't had so much as an idea in months, and now we have a plan?"

The meeting, oh kriff, I forgot about the meeting!

General Leia Organa had announced that there would be a meeting of the Resistance's "important personnel" today after the evening meal to discuss their plans moving forward. How there could be "important personnel" in a group so small, Rey didn't know.

She shook herself from her thoughts quickly when she realized that her friends were looking at her expectantly.

They think I know something, being the "hope of the Resistance and all". Something about the plan. I wish I did, but the General has kept me in the dark on this one.

People always assumed she knew the inner workings of General Leia's mind, but in truth the wise woman rarely confided in her, or in anyone for that matter. She was a complicated woman, with a complicated history. Even if she didn't show it, Rey knew she was hurting. She had lost her husband, her brother, and...her son. Ben. Rey had fought so hard to keep him out of her mind, but he was always there, never fully leaving her thoughts. She almost had herself convinced that it only the remnants of the force bond they had shared. Almost. She refused to admit that it could be caused by...anything else. He was like a ghost, haunting her thoughts, dreams, memories. His face appeared in her memory, his eyes tormented.

"Please," he had said, with such raw emotion in his voice that even the memory of it threatened to force the breath from her lungs. She blinked, hard, and the memory faded away. She swallowed the lump in her throat.

Her friends were looking at her still, their expressions less expecting now, and more worried. Rey opened her mouth to make another lame excuse, when the bell rang to end the meal. The meeting was beginning. She released the breath she hadn't realized she was holding in.

Saved by the bell, she thought.

Suddenly, she was grateful she had arrived late to the evening meal. She rushed from her chair, hurrying to the small area they had first gathered in after their arrival on the snowy planet, which was near the entrance of the base, avoiding the prying questions of her friends. Rey knew they were only trying to help, but they wouldn't understand. They couldn't possibly comprehend the feeling she had, the feeling that unseen forces were tearing her in half, clawing at her relentlessly. Sure, the light in her kept the darkness at bay, but she couldn't help but feel the tug to the dark at times. They would never understand the weight of the burden that rested on her petite shoulders.

Of course, if they'd known what Rey was thinking, they'd have told her to share the load.

She quickly took a seat in the middle of the fray, leaving no room for anyone to squeeze in beside her. She focused her attention on General Leia, pushing the thoughts that were invading her mind out to make room for Leia's so-called plan.

"I want to thank you all," Leia began in her regal voice, the room falling silent immediately, all eyes resting on her, "for being here. You are the last of the Resistance. These past few months have been bleak. Our allies have yet to respond to our pleas for help and our support has dwindled to practically nothing. But I am here today to tell you that the is still hope. And hope is all we need. I have decided on a quite...unconventional plan to set the Resistance back in motion. The First Order knows we are here, but do not believe us to be a threat. It is time we changed that."

The room erupted in agreement, hearty cheers filling the room and echoing through the halls. General Organa scanned the room with fire in her eyes, waiting for the noise to die down.

Her voice grew in strength and determination as she continued, "I have, along with my most trusted advisors, decided that we shall take down the First Order from the inside out."

The room fell silent. People were exchanging uneasy glances, unsure of what the General was implying. That, or they didn't want to believe it.

Surely she couldn't mean-

"Yes, it is our intention to send an agent undercover the the First Order base," her calm, cool blue eyes meeting Rey's horrified stare, as if she had read Rey's thoughts.

Hell, maybe she did, Rey thought bitterly, who knows anymore?

"General, with all due respect, you can't be serious! Who will you send on such an outrageous quest?" A shrill voice rose from the crowd.

"I am perfectly serious. Show some respect or it may be you I decide to send, Kaven Erith," the General responded to the hot-headed commander, the warmth in her eyes replaced with ice.

That certainly shut the commander up. No one would be jumping to their feet to volunteer for this mission anytime soon.

"Would anyone else like to question my decisions? No? Good. As to your question, Commander Erith, in all seriousness I do already have someone in mind, if they will accept the mission, which I will be speaking with them about, in private."

Rey gulped, closing her eyes and sighing deeply. She could feel Leia's eyes boring a hole into her forehead. Her eyes flicked open, and sure enough, they met the General's. She must be desperate, Rey concluded, or she would never ask this of me. Resigning herself to her fate, she matched Leia's intense stare and gave a weak nod. She had sealed her fate.

She half stood, half stumbled from her seat, the burden of her new mission weighing heavily on her mind. She felt dizzy and the room spun around her. She knew Leia would want to brief her on the mission later, and that she probably had more to say regarding the status of the Resistance, but she couldn't stand to be in the crowd of people anymore. She trained her eyes on the closest exit, shoving through people and avoiding their puzzled glances. When she reached the hallway, she broke into a run.

I can't be there again. I can't see him again.

The thoughts chased each other through her brain, looping over and over, when a familiar buzzing feeling lighted in the back of her head, like the din of a faraway engine coming to life. She shook her head violently to rid herself of the feeling. It didn't work, although she had known it wouldn't. No, no, no. This can't be happening. Not now. Rey came to an abrupt stop, backing into the wall on the far side of the hall and sliding her down with her back against the wall until she was seated on the floor, head in her hands. She closed her eyes for a long second, which felt like a lifetime, willing the feeling to go away, building a barrier within her mind. It shattered like glass when he spoke her name.

"Rey."

Well, we made it. Thanks to everyone reading my story so far! If you liked it, leave a review, and if you didn't, hey leave a review. Let me know what I could do better:) Thanks y'all!