Will of the Many~ Poe Dameron

Strength

You touch me and suddenly I feel a little less war torn. I'm not sure what peace is supposed to feel like but I think it may feel a lot like you...

-Unknown

"Hey, BB-8, my buddy!" Poe dropped to his knees in front of his droid and grabbed his little dome with both hands. He leaned forward to press his forehead against the droid's and gave a wide smile. "I'm so glad you're okay!!" He cooed. 

Serena grinned as she watched the reunion from the ship. She had never seen a duo more adorable- mainly BB-8.

"Is this all that's left?" Rose whispered as she looked around the hangar. 

Serena's eyes dragged away from Poe and BB-8 as she looked at the worn and scared faces. When she first came to the Resistance she was shocked by the number of people that flowed through the base. She told the First Order there weren't many within the Resistance, she meant it to be a deceitful lie, but now it came true. 

"There's strength in this room," Serena whispered to Rose as she watched the guarded way the Resistance Officers held their guns. Pilots, technicians, mechanics and operators alike were adorned with guns, ready to fight if it came to that. "I can feel it." 

She turned away from them sluggishly to head towards the lowered ramp. As she moved, the back of her gloved hand grazed Rose's forearm. It was unintentional and dragged without care before it dropped and fell to Serena's side. 

She slowly made her way to the ramp, but the last tumble really took it out of her. Each step felt like she was walking over crushed glass barefoot. As her body bounced over the steps, her shoulders dipped and sprang fresh waves of pain across her back and down her spine. She wasn't sure where the pain was coming from: the burn on her shoulder, being thrown against a metal door, rolling over fire and scrapes of metal, or tumbling around due to an inexperienced pilot. There were so many different causes that could be behind her pain it floored her. All the events that took place over a single day felt much larger. She was sure it was impossible to be hurt so many different times in 24 hours, but if anyone could do it... it was the First Order. 

As she took her first step off the ramp, her foot met the hard dirt and found it absorbed more of the shock than the metal vessel. It took away some of the pain in her jagged steps and made it slightly easier for her to breathe. 

"Wait, what? Wait, wait, wait, slow down," Poe chuckled as he tried to listen to BB-8's story. 

Serena slowly made her way over to them. As she did she listened to BB-8 as he retold an adventure filled with gambling, chasing, a creepy code breaker, then finished off with him using the walker to take out some guards. 

"You should have seen him," Serena stopped behind BB-8 as she smiled down at Poe. "He's quite the gunmen... I think he gets that from you." She ticked her chin towards him. 

Poe's hands slowly fell from BB-8's robust belly as he looked up at Serena. His eyes soaked her in as he stood to his feet. "I-" He looked at the bloodied wrap along her forearms and right hand, then to the dark bruises that fitted around her slender neck. Lastly, he looked up at her face which was three shades pinker than it normally was and had soot and dried blood along the outer frame. "I saw you three days ago..." BB-8 moved out of the way as Poe stepped towards her. When he stood in front of her he gingerly lifted his hands to hold her face. His pinkies sat under her sharp jaw while his thumb fell perfectly in the dimple along the apple of her cheek. The rest of his fingers spread out to cover the rest of her cheeks. He looked between her amber eyes, the ones he had always seen hold true fire in them, now they were dim. "What happened?"

"I'm... so tired, Poe." She melted into his grasp as she raised her hands to rest on his chest. Her eyes fluttered as exhaustion washed over her. Her bones suddenly felt heavier, as if someone had poured cement in them while she had her back turned.