-☆-

"Who?" Poe asked again at the man standing in front of him.

"I'm Kraglin. I'm one of Peter's old pals when he was a Ravenger." The man replied in his shaky voice.

Knowing all the possibilities, there was no way Poe could trust this man. He wasn't sure if this was a Skrull imposter or not. So he did the only way to find out, which was something he learned from Ava on Easik.

Kraglin grunted at the pain that shot up from his big toe. "What was that for, dude?"

A smirk grew on the General's face holding the blaster in his hand. "Well, you're not a Skrull," Poe said, still pointing the weapon at Kraglin.

The Ravenger frowned until another shake of the ship startled Poe as he looked up at the front where Groot continued to fly the ship. Accompanied by his droid on the floor, making whirring noises in response to the movement as gravity caused him to roll in different directions.

"Groot. What's happening?" Poe demanded, scanning the window for the issue.

The tree looked up at him over his shoulder. "I am Groot."

BB-8 pipped a translation in seconds.

"A pod is boarding to this ship?" Poe clarified as he turned to look back at Kraglin. He pushed passed the Ravenger and pointed his blaster at the door where the owner of the pod would enter.

Kraglin cleared his throat to speak. "Yeah uh-"

"Shh!" Poe spat, keeping his concentration on the seal door. The hiss of the door grabbed his attention as he grips tightly with both hands on the handle of the weapon. Sliding open in a single moment, followed by a maniacal, hysterical laugh that belong to none other than Rocket Raccoon.

"That! Was the most fun! That I've had! In years!" Rocket gasped between chuckled and wiping off the tears from his eyes. He looked up at Kraglin, failing to notice Poe. "Those hooligans are just helplessly floating around on New Knowhere."

He busted out laughing harder, with Kraglin joining.

Rocket then blinked, realizing another witness. "Oh hey, General hotshot."

Poe looked down at the creature. "How did you get here and where are the others?"

Rocket scoffed. "Quill and the others are all on the Benatar fighting off the other bounty hunters chasing after them That stupid jack-ass put a bounty for all of us."

With a nod of understanding, Poe absorbed the information.

Rocket then snickered as he elbowed Poe's leg. "Looks like my surprise worked after all."

"Yeah, that anti-gravity gadget seemed to work super well." Poe chuckled as he pulled out the button while returning it.

"Glad someone appreciates my ideas," Rocket said while grabbing the the device. "And I knew you two would need help breaking out you're little friend and my Groot. That's why I killed the power inside the 'precious collection.'"

"That was you!?" Poe asked in shock.

"Who else would it be? Quill? No! Of course it was me! It seemed worked though." Rocket grinned with a wink.

"You got us caught!" Poe scolded the raccoon. "Now we have bounty hunters after us!"

"But you're not dead!" Rocket said in defense as he began to walk away from Poe. "This is the thanks I get every time I save a whiny Terrans ass! Even if you're technically not a Terran you still look like one. At least I didn't blow up anything."

Gripping the fur on his head, Rocket tumbled out a loud and long groan. "I'm done talking to you idiots, I'm going to see Groot." He said as he marched off towards the cockpit.

Poe realized he didn't check to see if Rocket was a Skrull or not. He made a mental note check later. Maybe get some revenge for the raccoons snappy attitude.

"What happened to Quill's sister?"

Kraglin questioned as he tilted his head towards Ava lying by the window. Poe followed the man's line of vision. Finding Ava sleeping calmly as her chest rose and fell in a natural rhythm. Then he looked at her wrapped leg, realizing how terrible his job was. The bandages were all crooked and no where close to neat.

He finally cleared his throat. "She uh, was fighting off some of those thugs but another one cut her leg."

Kraglin nodded as he understood. "Well, I saw what you did. Catching her when she leaped." He said.

A small ounce of pride snuck into Poe's smirk as he knew it was a heroic act to be proud of. Until he sighed in relief as he was more grateful that he did catch her. Fearing what would happen if he didn't. That would mean loosing a friend and that was something he never dared to happen.

"I couldn't let her fall." Poe stated. "I just couldn't imagine letting that happen."

Kraglin hummed in response. "She's sure lucky to have you."

Poe felt his cheeks heat up as he processed what Kraglin was intending. "We aren't like that. We are only friends. Colleagues until me and BB-8 get back home."

The Ravenger shrugged with a smug. "If you say so. I'm just saying she's not someone you want to let go of. She's a good one."

Whether that was meant to be literal as in saving Ava a few minutes ago or a deeper meaning to never let go of Ava as a friend, Poe didn't know. But he knew he wouldn't dare to let her go.

"Alright," Kraglin said as he patted Poe's shoulder. "I'm going to make sure Rocket and Groot don't destory my ship."

Then he walked away and left Poe alone.

Beep-boop, beepity-beep

Not entirely alone.

Poe closed his eyes with a sigh. "BB-8 I didn't lie, okay? We are only friends."

He glanced down at his droid who couldn't stop teasing his master.

The General heard a long breath by the window. He looked up to see Ava move her arm as it dangled over the sill, stirring in her sleep. Taking slow steps over, Poe knelt beside the window as he gently lifted her arm, placing it on her stomach.

He sighed as he got up to join the others at the front. Until he heard another grunt from her. Looking over his shoulder, he found her eyes remained closed and her eyebrows scrunched together.

"Please, I can't loose you too." She spoke, barely above a whisper. A fearful request that must have been part of a bad dream.

Poe walked back over, grabbing a chair from the table. Setting it down beside her and he took a seat on the edge. Leaning towards Ava. He noticed a few strands of hair in her face. Carefully, he moved them out of the way. His knuckle ghosting her soft, delicate skin, careful not to touch the scratches from the battle. Poe looked at her hand resting over her stomach before placing his hand in top of hers. Naturally, letting his thumb trace lines on the back of her hand.

"I'm not going anywhere, sweetheart." Poe whispered.

A faint smile grew on Ava's mouth, letting her eyebrows relax. In that moment, Poe knew. He was never going to let her go.

-|-

"Take my hand." A gentle voice of her mother echoed as a hand reached for the little girls. Young and afraid, she took it.

But as soon as she grasped it, her mother was gone.

Then she found herself holding her brother in an embrace. Gripping on him for dear life, but then he disappeared too.

"Great job kid."

She turned around to see a man wearing high-tech glasses with his signature goatee on his chin. The man winked at her.

Then he was gone.

"You're not bad." A feminine voice caught her attention as her friend laid on the floor. Her Red hair tugged back into a braid swung back and forth as she stood up, putting her fist up for a bump. "I think you could be a great addition to the team if you keep knocking me down like that."

Then she was gone too.

The dream only relapsing the pain from each loss. People in her life who died or those who have come and gone. Whatever the case, the loneliness that came after, continued to haunt her.

Ava didn't realize her subconscious was pacing until she tripped but a hand caught her. Finding a pair of daring eyes and a smirk that belonged to a stranger.

"You're lucky I was here to catch you." His voice floated in her head space before he pulled her up on her feet.

She grabbed his shoulders for balance. "I guess I am." Ava smiled, reflecting his.

He then let go, beginning to walk away.

In fear of relapsing the pattern, she reached for his hand but it was just out of reach. "Please, I can't loose you too."

The stranger spun around as worry covered her face.

At first, he only stood there as if he would be gone in a blink of an eye. Just like the others. So she sighed and stared at her feet.

A hand wrapping around hers shattered her fear.

"I'm not going anywhere, sweetheart."

Her vision blurred as she stirred awake. Her memory delayed but she then remebered. The Collector, being chased by Ravengers and thieves, Rocket blowing them up and-

My leg!

She sat up to see her a blur of calf that she recognized as white bandages. A sigh of relief left her lips as she tried to replay the sequence her mind. Still lost of how she got in thus position.

Moving a hand up to push back her hair, until she noticed a restrain on her other hand. Glancing over to find loosely wrapped fingers around hers as her eyes traced up the arm to find it's owner, stumbling upon a mess of dark curl sticking out in different directions. His chest rising and falling, each breath coming out as loud snores. His chin resting in his other palm with his elbow on his knee for support.

A painful yet tender warmth spread throughout her chest. "Poe?" She said gently with a smile.

"I told you Rocket, I'll be up there in a second." He mumbled into his palm.

Ava then noticed BB-8 rolling up to his master and bumping his leg, only to get a groan response. When that wasn't enough, the droid popped out a robotic arm and zapped Poe's leg.

"Ah!" Poe screamed as he flung his hands in the air, startled, letting go of hers. Glaring down at BB-8. "What was that for!?"

Failing to restrain her laughter, Ava snickered as she shook her head. Poe's head snapped as he was a deer in the headlights.

"Oh, uh." He said, let out two short breaths accompanied by a small grin. "You're awake."

Noticing the way his cheeks turned pink from embarrassment, only made Ava's cheeks hurt from smiling wider.

"What?" Poe furrowed his eyebrows.

Ava leaned forwards and wrapped her arms around his neck. Catching his scent of a subtle musky amber mixed with leather. Feeling arms around her back, holding her delicately as if she would break if he squeezed to hard.

"Thank you, Poe." She whispered next to his ear.

Pulling out of the hug, Ava found him staring directly at her with wonder.

"For what?" Poe asked.

"For not letting me fall to my death." She said instead, sarcasm disguising the bashful explosion bursting inside her.

Poe finally caught on with a sigh of relief. "You gave me heart attack for the record." He scolded her with a finger, changing the mood.

Ava rolled her eyes with an innocent expression. "Eh, blame the genius who told me to jump with an injured leg."

"It was either that or be left to get captured." Poe scoffed. "Anways, How's your leg feeling?"

She shrugged, turning her attention to the injured limb. "Other than that it feels like a dead weight and the slight ounce of pain, it's fine." Ava glanced down at with a gasp, finally getting a clearer image of her injury. "And what idiot forgot how to wrap bandages for an injured leg!?"

Failing to notice the panic in Poe's eyes, as he cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair. "It was this Ravenger guy who owns this ship. He said he was friends with Peter and had a red thing on his head-"

"That's Kraglin!" Ava exclaimed, hearing the description of her brother's colleague. Forgetting her complaint ready to rush towards her friend as she brought herself on her feet. She hissed at the pain the moment she put too much weight in it. Determination kept her stubborn as she limped towards the cockpit, but the pain continued to increased.

About to take her third step, two arms scooped her up. Ava wrangled and squirmed, hoping to get out of his arms.

"Poe Dameron! You put me down this instant!"

He shook his head as he held her closer to his chest, a mischievous chuckle vibrating under his hold. "I'm not going to, sweetheart."

She folded her arms with a huff in defeat. Her face fuming like a fiery flame with ashy dust of a faint red. The fire wanted to burn Poe's ego to the ground, but it didn't.

Instead, a familiar spark ignited in a gentle and a giddy way. Her heart dancing within each beat of light, while trying to fight of a beaming glow. The warm fuzzy feeling making the spark burn softly while being of the arms of her friend.

And she knew in that moment.

She knew that Poe would never let her go.

___________________-☆-__________________

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Hey! Short chapter but there's a longer one coming next to make up for it!

I've swamped with a new semester of school starting up and I have a job too now that I'm trying to balance with. So expect slow updates. My goal was to finish this before GOTG vol 3, but I don't want to rush the story. So whatever happens in that film, I might steal some elements from it, but then again this is technically a AU Crossover. But I'm going to stick to the plan I have with th
is story.

-marie <3

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