Chapter Text
Something about the Tico house feels… different. It’s like Rey is on another planet.
She goes straight home—to the spare bedroom Mrs. Tico insisted she stay in until they can find longer-term accommodations. Rey unpacks her things and thinks about how excited she would’ve been to live here a few months ago, but today, she doesn’t feel much of anything.
Rose is set up in the bedroom down the hall. Mrs. Tico suggests Rey wait to see her, but she has to see her. She has to.
Most of her stuff has been cleared out to make room for a hospital bed. It’s bare where there used to be posters and a shell collection from Cape Cod three years ago, and her dresser isn’t a mess anymore, and her closet is empty and strange. Rey walks slowly toward her bed in the center of the room, throat tightening. Rose looks so small nestled in her blankets with her stuffed giraffe under her arm. She’s asleep.
“She’s on some medication for now. She may not wake up all the way.”
Rey pauses at the foot of the bed. Her hand curled around the giraffe twitches, and Rey notices she’s missing part of her left ring finger.
She shuffles closer and sits in the chair beside the bed. Rose doesn’t move. Still asleep.
It’s been so long—Rey thought she’d know what to say and she’d be ready to say it. But she sits there silently instead, staring at Rose, counting her breaths. Her fingernails are torn, like she was scratching really hard at something. Metal. Maybe she was in a cage.
Rey had it so easy. She swallows, hands starting to tremble in her lap. She was so comfortable.
A soft knock comes from the door. Rey clears her throat and glances up as Mr. Tico sticks his head in. He smiles a little.
“Rey, there are people here to see you,” he says.
“Oh.” Rey gets up, sniffling. “Okay.”
“Helen is trying to shoo them away. They’re from the federal government.”
Rey stills. Federal… government?
She follows Mr. Tico downstairs, sweat beading on her palms. Do they know she helped catch Sophie? Do they know she was responsible for her being killed? Do they know she stood by and watched another woman being killed?
“…You’re vultures. She has only been home for twelve hours—”
Voices float up from the living room. There are two men wearing black suits standing by the couch, and Mrs. Tico is laying into them. One is tall and sinewy, and the other is shorter, with curly black hair and bright eyes. He’s smiling at Mrs. Tico.
Mr. Tico leads Rey closer, and the shorter man notices them. He’s handsome. He has a really nice smile.
“Rey Niima?” he asks. He offers his hand to shake, and Mrs. Tico scowls. “Poe Dameron, CIA.”
Rey glances at Mrs. Tico before she shakes his hand. Firm grip.
“You’ll need to return with a warrant if you’d like to speak with Rey,” Mrs. Tico snaps. “And she will have her attorney present.”
Poe widens his eyes and raises his eyebrows. He looks back at Mrs. Tico and laughs. “Well, she’s not under arrest or in any trouble, but sure. Sure.” He looks down at Rey and smiles again. “I wanted to ask you a couple quick questions, Rey—but I can come back another day.”
“She does not need to think or talk about that.” Mrs. Tico bustles over to Rey and touches her upper arm. “Do not speak to him. Wait until you have your attorney.”
Rey’s gaze wanders off to the side, avoiding Poe’s friendly smile. He lingers, watching her, then nods.
“I’ll come back soon,” he says. “I hope you get some rest, Rey. When you’re ready, I have information for you.”
He leaves a card. Mrs. Tico throws it out.
And the next three weeks seem to pass by like a dream: Rey starts therapy with a doctor she can’t remember the name of, and she usually sits quietly in her sessions or feigns sickness to cancel the appointment. It’s like she comes home, and the world lifts her up from the ground and spins her around, and she can’t find her footing.
Sometimes she visits Rose, and when she’s awake, she stares at the wall and doesn’t talk. Rey hears her crying a few nights, and she hears Mrs. Tico comforting her and singing to her.
But an idea comes to Rey one day—a way to dip her toes in to things and try to feel normal.
“College?” Mrs. Tico asks.
They’re having breakfast one sunny Friday morning: her, Mrs. Tico, and Mr. Tico. Mr. Tico co*cks his head and looks sideways at Mrs. Tico, who is already shaking her head and looks ready to say no.
“Just one or two classes?” Rey tries. “Just so I can go… out. Have something to do.”
“Honey, I don’t know.” Mrs. Tico cuts her eggs with the edge of her fork. “I think you need to rest a while longer.”
“It could be good for her,” Mr. Tico says. “She can bring Matt and Patrick.”
Mrs. Tico eats quietly for a little while. She sighs, then tells Rey she can pick two classes.
| | |
School does give Rey something to do. It’s weird being around other people, but it’s nice being out of the house and having a purpose. Conveniently, she gets to start classes a week after asking to enroll, when all the other students start.
She picks calculus and Western civ., just to balance it out a bit. Two security guards come along: Matt and Patrick, who hang back enough that it doesn’t look suspicious. Rey has her tracking app on her phone and a watch to call for emergency help. She’s not really worried.
She never thought she’d look forward to doing homework. It’s good, though. Having structure. Keeps her occupied.
She’s leaving class after her first full week when she spots Poe Dameron sitting on a bench under a tree. He waves, nudging his sunglasses down the bridge of his nose. Rey stops.
“I have information for you.”
“Want us to scare him off, Rey?”
She glances back at Matt, the slightly bigger bodyguard. Her eyes wander back to Poe.
“Um…” She shakes her head. “Can you give me a second?”
Matt and Patrick don’t seem thrilled, but they hang back. Rey approaches Poe, clutching her notebooks to her chest. He’s chewing gum.
“Jumping back in?” he asks. One arm is stretched across the back of the bench. Rey nods, and he looks out across the campus. “Good. Want to take a seat?”
Rey sits. Matt and Patrick turn in small circles under the shade of a tree, watching.
Poe draws his arm to his side and plucks off his sunglasses. “The big one has had two felony grand theft autos.” He gestures absentmindedly to Patrick. “Little one is a small-time computer hacker. Helen must have gotten them off a friend.”
“Oh.”
“Not dangerous, don’t worry.” Poe turns his charming smile on her. “Your previous bodyguard is a much different story.”
“He wasn’t my…” Rey’s cheeks flush. “What do you mean?”
“I know, I know. Not really a bodyguard, what with the aggravated kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment. But he was very protective of you. Killed a lot of his own guys over you.”
“I don’t know anything about that.”
“Yeah, I don’t care about dead henchmen, anyway. I do care about sovereign citizens of the United States who are taken hostage by international crime syndicates.” Poe tilts his head. “Like you.”
People walk by at a short distance, laughing and chatting. Rey watches and she and Poe are quiet for a minute. Maybe longer.
“I’ve been watching Kylo for a long time.” Poe waves a hand. “Ben, as he used to be known. Tough guy to pin down. He used to be German special ops—he’s pretty good at killing people, and pretty good at hiding. Ranks high in the syndicate.”
“I knew the boneheaded idea to kidnap two US civilians wasn’t Kylo’s—he’s cautious, where Hux is impulsive and stupid as sh*t. I figured he’d… dispose of you two within a week. But for some reason, he kept you around. Helen did owe them money, but—”
“From what?” Rey interrupts. She hesitates when Poe breaks into another smirk. “Just… wondering.”
“Helen is an investor, too. Just not important enough for me to bother with.”
“She is?”
Poe nods. Rey doesn’t want any more details. A clammy sweat prickles on her nape, and she suddenly feels sick. Not Mrs. Tico. That can’t be.
A breeze sways the tree over their heads. Matt and Patrick are seated on a different bench, and Matt is texting someone, watching them.
“He has a safe house in the mountains. Did he ever bring you there?”
Tears well up in Rey’s eyes. Why can’t it just go back to the way it used to be? Why does it have to be this way? Why does she have to know these things about the people she’s loved for most of her life?
Poe leans forward on his knees. “Our witness protection program is iron-clad. I’ll personally supervise your security.” He pauses while Rey sniffles, rolling her lips to keep from crying. “You could have a fresh start. Maybe someplace sunny.”
“I don’t…” Rey’s voice wavers. “I don’t have anything to tell you.”
“I think you do. And I can think of a lot of women and families who will be happy if you decide to share with me.”
Patrick is craning his neck, scowling. He nudges Matt and they get up.
Poe sighs. “Well, looks like Frankenstein and his monster are on the move.” He offers Rey a slim black business card between two fingers. “In case you change your mind. I know Helen threw the first one out.”
Rey takes it. Poe gets up from the bench and walks off down the path through the trees. Rey wipes her eyes with the back of her hand and clears her throat.
Matt stops in front of her. “Everything alright?”
“Yeah, yeah.” She stands. “All good.”
They walk her back to the Mercedes SUV and do a quick check before getting in. Rey takes her spot in the back seat, turning Poe’s business card slowly in her fingers. Maybe she needs to leave. Maybe there isn’t anything here for her anymore. Maybe there never was.
The ride is quiet for a while. Matt keeps glancing in the rear-view mirror.
“That car following us?” he asks Patrick.
Rey turns. A similar black SUV with dark tinted is following a couple paces behind them. Patrick bends his neck to watch through the passenger mirror and shakes his head.
“They’re turning off,” he says. “One of those stupid Suburbans everyone has now.”
Rey watches the SUV turn left at the next road.
