Chapter 52: Death and all his friends

Hope everyone is holding up ok, I haven't heard a lot from anyone lately but I guess everyone has been a lot more reserved lately as they are struggling with everything that's going on. I am missing going out drinking and seeing friends a lot haha, but am enjoying being able to have so much time to write and be more creative. As always, enjoy the story and thanks to everyone who has ever taken the time to favourite, follow or of course review the story, it means SO much!

Poe Dameron took a step back after he placed a single orchid on the gravestone in-front of him. A single tear escaped his eye as he stood to pay his respects.

"Hey you. It still feels weird, standing here, addressing you like this. You should be by my side, leading this fight with me, whatever fight we have left. To tell the truth, since you left me, I'm not sure how much of a chance we have left. But we'll fight, like you would have wanted, you always fought for what's right. So I'll do it for you, I'll keep going, I'll keep fighting, even if it's the last thing I do. I'll keep fighting for you, for our friends, for everyone else we lost along the way. I'll make you proud, I will."

"She would be so very proud of you my love."

Poe turned to see Lyra stood in the stone archway of the graveyard. She moved to stand next to him, observing Leia's gravestone in-front of them.

"What are you doing out of bed, the med droids told you to rest up" he said, moving her hair away from her face gently. He glanced down at the bandages around her waist.

"That was over a week ago, I'm feeling fine, I promise" she responded, taking his hand in her own.

"You nearly died, can't blame me for being careful" he whispered, using his free hand to cradle her face gently.

"Your concern is deeply touching, if you truly care, you'll go and get me some food" she smiled.

He rolled his eyes, food, always about the food with her.

"I'm serious Lyra, you took a blaster shot for me, I'm allowed to be worried" he told her.

"I know, I know and I'm of course I understand, but I'm fine Poe, I promise. I'm not going anywhere, I'm here" she told him as she wrapped her arms around him and held him close.

Poe gently leaned into her touch, wrapping his own arms around her as he held her, inhaling her scent as he leant his head into the crook of her neck.

"General, I have that report you were after, oh, sorry sir" a resistance worker approached them, head in his reports, backing away when he realised he had interrupted a private moment.

"That's alright, thank you" Poe responded, Lyra's head turned as she held back a laugh, her head still resting against his chest.

As the worker left, Poe let out a deep sigh. "We need some privacy around here."

She nodded once. "That would be nice" she replied.

Poe kissed her head. "I have a plan, follow me" he said, taking her hand and leading her through the jungle.

"Where are we going?"

"The falcon, we'll fly her close-by, put her on autopilot, nobody will bother us, I'll turn the radio off" he told her as they walked to the docks.

"Tell Rey I'll be back with her ship, Lyra and I are going on a coding mission, in the falcon, we need time to concentrate, don't allow anybody to bother us for a few hours…. Maybe a day" Poe told a young pilot standing by the falcon.

The Pilot nodded to his General and smirked as he watched Poe lead Lyra onboard. Poe wasted no time in flying the ship high enough that they were out of sight, but not so far they left the safety of Ajan Kloss' planetary cover.

Lyra smiled and fixed her and Poe drinks as Poe put the ship on auto-pilot. He raised an eyebrow as she handed him a glass of whiskey.

"You need a stiff drink to get through my company now?"

She clinked his glass with her own in a toast before they both took a sip. "I nearly died a week ago, I deserve a stiff drink for that I think" she smirked.

He shook his head as they both sat down together.

"What? What did I do?" Lyra asked, thinking she had said something to offend him.

"You keep doing that. Playing off what happened like it was nothing, like it was little more than a scratch" Poe replied.

"Because it was, I didn't die, I didn't have to say goodbye to you, so it meant nothing".

"It did! It did mean something Lyra, you almost died, for me. You nearly died, because I made you feel like you had to prove your loyalty to me" the General answered.

Lyra shook her head and moved closer to him, putting her finger on her lips to shush him.

"No Poe, don't, don't think like that. I didn't do it because I felt I needed to prove myself to you, I would have done it before all of that, I would have done it before I was taken from you, stars, I'm pretty sure I would have done it for you back when you were a prisoner on the Finalizer, I love you Poe. I saved you because I love you."

She didn't break his gaze as she stared at him. He stared back into those wonderful eyes of hers, so beautiful they looked like they held the entire galaxy in them.

"I love you too, but I don't want you to put yourself in danger, not for me" he replied.

She traced her hand over his cheek softly, loving the constant warmth that radiated from him. Stars how she had missed that warmth.

"I put myself in danger for you lots of times, as you did for me, this time is no different" she shrugged.

"This time it's different. This time, with the Final Order, Lyra, I'm not sure I can keep you safe anymore, I'm not sure I can keep anyone safe anymore, not even myself" Poe whispered, Lyra noted the fear in his voice.

Lyra brought his hand to her lips, kissing the underside of his thumb ever so gently. "So we fight together as long as we can, until we can fight no more and then we face whatever comes our way after that together."

Poe nodded slowly. Lyra knew he was scared, she knew he was fighting a battle in his own head, mentally destroying himself over not being able to win this fight and protect everyone he loves.

"You want to know something? I don't even think I'm scared anymore, because I have you. Whatever happens, I'll be by your side. I meant what I said when I thought I was going to die. I would do this all over again, just to have the time I've had with you over and over again" Lyra told him.

He smiled at her and in that moment thought of his mother Shara. She had wanted a better life for her son, it's why she fought against the Empire. Poe had grown up thinking that his parents would want him to follow in their footsteps, to rise to the occasion, to be even more successful than them in fighting for freedom, but looking at Lyra, he realised they wouldn't have ever pushed for any of that. They wanted their son to be happy and that's exactly what he was because of Lyra.

"I love you, you beautiful, crazy, brave woman, you know that?"

She laughed softly at his admission. "I love you too Poe Dameron, so much. Poe, would you marry me?"

His brows furrowed as he grinned at her. "What? That blaster shot reach your head?"

She shook her head as she wrinkled her nose at him. "No. I'm perfectly sane, now might be the only time I get to marry you."

He stared at his ring around her neck, he wanted nothing more than to have her as his wife, but it wasn't as easy as just getting married.

"I, I would love to, but you're, Armitage, you're still married to him" Poe replied. She knew he wasn't saying it as an insult, or to make her feel bad, he was just stating a fact. She was still married.

"You know I'm yours, and so does Armitage. Alright, fine, maybe I can send him a message to him, after this war, ask him if he would be willing to consent to a, divorce."

Poe noted her pain at that last word, it seemed such a harsh word to her, so final, especially towards a man who loved her so much, who tried so desperately to protect her. He held her face in his hands.

"Hey, you don't have to do anything you find hard. I'll marry you anyway, even if the law doesn't recognise it, I'll be your husband if you want me as your husband. Anything you want, cake, wedding, pretty dress the size of a small planet, it's all yours baby, just say the word" he replied.

She moved to sit on his lap, drawing herself close to him. "I don't want any of that, I just want you. I always want you Poe, I will always want you."

Lyra wrapped her arms around him as she leaned close and kissed him. She kissed him slowly, delicately, still unsure of his response after they hadn't exactly been on the best of terms of late. Poe froze, tensing under her touch, but it wasn't because he wanted to push her away.

When Lyra picked up on his tenseness, she leaned back to look at him. "Poe, what's the matter? Don't you want me? Do you want me to stop?"

He leaned up so closely, Lyra felt his warm breath against her lips, his eyes closed as he withheld his affection. "No, of course I want you. I'm just worried Lyra, I don't want to hurt you."

She took his hands in her own and placed them softly around her waist, his fingertips ghosting over her recovering wound. "I'm fine my love, just be gentle, I won't break I promise."

She traced her hands over his chest gently before meeting his lips in a kiss once more. This time Poe was less reserved, he took advantage of her parted lips and kissed them before slipping his tongue into her mouth, running it against her own enough to warrant a moan.

Lyra's moan went straight to his groin and she felt him harden beneath her. She instantly grinded against him, rolling her hips against his own, wanting to ease the pressure building up in her core. He put his hands on her hips and smiled against her mouth.

"You gotta take it easy baby, I don't want to burn out before I've even gotten inside you" he whispered.

She began to unbutton his shirt, sliding her hands against his bare chest as she slid the shirt off him. "So get inside of me then."

He grabbed her hair, pulling it back enough to expose her neck to him before his lips attacked her neck, licking the soft flesh there before running his teeth along her collarbone. His hands left her hips to glide up her shirt gently as his hands found her breasts as he kneaded them, earning another moan from her as his fingertips ghosted along her nipples, causing them to harden beneath his touch.

Her hands skimmed over his arms and she felt the dark hair that covered them, she had almost forgotten the feel of his arms, and how much hair he had there compared to Armitage. It seemed strange she found stroking the hair on his arms so comforting, but it was proof he was there with her and he was hers. The moment was overwhelming and she found herself hunched over, leaning closer to Poe.

As she moved forward, her hair fell against her face and Poe's hand went to her cheek, pushing her hair away from her face. He felt a slight wetness on his thumb.

"Hey, you're crying? What's the matter?" he asked her.

She shook her head as he stared up at her. "It's nothing."

He ran his thumb over her lower lip slowly. "Hey, come on, talk to me, tell me what's wrong."

She placed her hand on his own as she stared at him. "I'm just grateful to have you back, and i'm sorry I hurt you."

He leaned up and kissed her. "I love you Lyra, I forgive you, let's just have a clean slate ok? Not like any other person in this entire galaxy would have taken two shots for me and stuck around, let's just be us again, pick up where we left off on D'Qar" he said after their lips parted.

She nodded. "I like the sound of that."

He moved to unbutton her shirt. "Now, if I remember rightly, last time we were on D'Qar, we were in bed together, so let's pick up right about there" he whispered as he took her shirt off, leaving her topless.

His mouth found her breasts, swirling his tongue around her nipple before taking the hardened, sensitive flesh in-between his teeth and sucking softly. His actions sent a wave of pleasure straight to her core, causing her to buck her hips against him out of instinct. His hands flew to her hips and then to her backside as he squeezed the soft skin of it. She moaned again, and when he looked up at her, she kissed him, moaning into his mouth.

One of his hands moved down into her pants and her underwear, his fingers ghosted over her clit, causing her to grip his arms, her fingernails digging into his skin as she revelled in his touch.

One of his fingers dipped into her core and she bit her lip as he grinned up at her. "Fuck sweetheart, you're so wet for me" he whispered.

She ran her tongue along the shell of his ear before biting his earlobe softly. "I've been without the love of my life for months now, of course I'm wet for you."

Poe's thumb circled her clit as his fingers curled inside of her. "Who's this love of your life? I'm jealous, gonna have to kick that guys ass" he joked to her, grinning at Lyra trying to hold it together as he teased her.

"I'm not even going to allow you that joke, you know it's you. It's always been you. Now please, stop your teasing."

She ran her hands through his hair, kissing his temple.

"What is it that you want exactly?"

She had forgotten how much of a damn tease Poe was, always coaxing her into telling him exactly where she needed him, where he needed to touch her, taste her, move inside of her.

She reached down to palm his hard length under his pants, drawing a long hiss from him.

"Remember what you said to me, when I came to you after Leia's death, one of the first things you said? You said you needed me. I need you now Poe, please" she begged him.

He nodded and the two of them raced to remove each others clothes. When they were both bare, Lyra wrapped her legs around Poe as they sat and she sunk down onto his length.

They both cried out at the feeling of being inside one another again and Lyra smiled as she listened to Poe's deep breathing. She stared down at him, his tanned skin, the stubble on his chin, the flush of red on his chest from making love, the pink of his lips. The way his brow furrowed as he closed his eyes, taking all of her in. He was so perfect, every aspect, every angle, every noise he made, every part of him was so perfect to her, she felt tears build in her eyes again, only this time she noticed when she used her fingers under his chin to gently force him to meet her gaze, he was holding back tears too.

"You are so beautiful Poe" she whispered.

"Even now, after all this time apart, with me a little older, probably less wiser and a little, softer than I was before?"

She trailed one hand over his stomach that she knew he was a little self-conscious over now before smiling at him. "Especially now. You are as unbelievably beautiful as you were before and even if you had changed, your soul is the same and that soul clings to mine as the resistance clings to freedom, they are two parts of the same thing."

He stroked her cheek softly as he stared at the woman he loved. "And people say I'm charming. I love your soul too Lyra" he whispered to her as his free hand trailed down to her clit once again. She rolled her hips against him and the two of them began to make love. Lyra met Poe's thrusts and kissed him.

As their lovemaking got more frantic, on account of the absence of it for so long, Lyra went to steady herself using the back of the ship behind Poe but as she did she slipped and fell to the floor, taking Poe with her as she refused to relinquish her grip on him. He caught them both before they hit the ground, manoeuvring them gently enough so she was on the ground and he was above her. He remained in a seated position as Lyra lay on the floor of the ship and quickly entered her again, gripping her thighs as he pushed into her and placed her ankles on his shoulders. He kissed her legs as he thrust into her and she cried out at the feel of him inside of her.

"You feel so good Poe" she told him, placing an arm out to the side of her to balance herself so she could meet his thrusts again. As she felt the pressure build up inside of her, she reached down to rub her clit as Poe continued to hit her sweet spot.

"That's it baby, touch yourself, help me make you cum sweetheart, I wanna feel you cum on me" he told her. His words sent her over the edge and she came tight around him, crying out for him as she did so. Poe smiled against her ankle as he kissed it, feeling her slump against him slightly.

"Poe, come here, I want to hold you" she told him. He wasted no time in leaning close so he was lying over her. She ran her hands over his back as he moaned against her, feeling his own climax draw near. Lyra ran her hands through his hair as she drew her knees up enough to allow him deeper inside of her.

"Oh sweetheart, I'm gonna…. I'm gonna cum" he told her.

She kissed him before licking up neck and jawline, getting close to his ear. "Cum for me my love, I want you to" she commanded him before biting his shoulder as he finished inside of her.

Lyra wrapped her legs around him as he rode out his climax, feeling him twitch inside of her as he did so. He moaned one final moan before moving back to stare down at her, a tired, half-lidded stare to match her own. They giggled together as Lyra reached up to cover his eyes with her hand playfully.

"Wow" he said when she lowered her hand.

"Wow" she echoed, grinning up at him.

He stood up abruptly, taking her with him and carried her to the cot in the alcove of one of the walls, as he placed her down on the bed, he got in next to her, huddling close. The bed was designed for one really, but with Lyra practically lying on Poe's chest, there was just enough room for them both.

He stroked her hair as she lay her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. It was a position that she had refamiliarized herself with Armitage, only Poe seemed cosier, and certainly warmer than he had ever felt.

"How are you feeling?"

Poe laughed softly. "On top of the world sweetheart, are you alright?"

She looked up at him. "Perfect, that was wonderful, you were wonderful."

He kissed her, smiling down at her. "Marks out of 10?"

She laughed, moving up so they were face to face, his arm still cradling her head. "An easy 20."

Poe shrugged. "I was hoping for 100 but ok, 20, I'm just gonna to work on it."

She laughed, kissing his shoulder softly, her laugh vibrating through his skin. "You know I think you're perfect, I would have thought how I screamed your name just a few minutes ago was an indication of that?"

He looked up at the low ceiling above them as he nodded and seemed to play back their lovemaking in his head. "Yeah, yeah that part was so great, so great."

She laughed again and everything felt right again. They were laughing together, they were making love and laughing and talking about their future together again and everything was as it should have been.

"Hey daydreamer?"

Poe gazed down at her, a lazy smile plastered on his face, his eyes still half-lidded. "Hm?" he asked.

"Do you want to try to get that 100 out of 10 performance now?"

He raised an eyebrow as he slid over her. "Hell yeah."