The Resistance Kids and the Haunted House, Part 1

Rating: PG (violence – comic and otherwise, mild language)

Pairings: Han/Leia, Finn/Rey

Disclaimer: The franchise belongs to George Lucas and the Walt Disney Company.

There were a lot of things Rey Rider loved about living in the Bowery in 1949. She liked the apartment she, Jessika, and Kaydel lived in. Finn, Snap, and Poe were right next door. Old Maz was downstairs to chaperon, push for the rent, and make the best damn pecan pie in New York. Ok, so the place consisted of three rooms and a barely closet-sized bathroom, the kitchen was attached to the living room, and she had to share a room with Kay and listen to her talk about her dates in her sleep. It beat the corrugated tin shack she lived in when she was working for Unkar Plutt, after she immigrated during the war.

Oh, and Baby. She could never forget Baby. Baby was a plump little corgi pup, the cutest and most playful dog in Manhattan. She was technically Poe's, but she sort of belonged to the whole group. Rey found her shivering and cold in an alley one day, after she'd gotten lost from Poe. Three bigger dogs were trying to pick a fight with her, but Rey chased them away and brought her to Finn, then Poe. Baby gravitated towards her ever since.

The Bowery was beautiful today. The battered storefronts and tenements were never going to win any awards, but nothing could look ugly in a fresh blue sky, with bright orange paper pumpkins and russet brown leaves in the windows. It was late October, just three days before Halloween, and the smell of burning leaves and apple and pear kuchen being made in bakeries was in the air. She took a deep sniff before stepping into Solo's Garage.

Working for Hank Solo was by far the best thing about coming to New York. She'd always loved mechanics. Nothing made her happier than tinkering with a car engine or repairing a toaster that was on the fritz. The brick garage was old and filled to the brim with parts of vehicles probably dating to the first cars sold in the late 1800's.

Hank Solo was a great guy. He was really laid-back. There were a lot of things he didn't mind. He didn't care that she was British, Finn was black, Jess' family was from the Philippines, or that she and Jess were girls. He didn't care where you were from or who you were, as long as you could fix a carburetor.

He and his huge Russian buddy Charles were legends in the Bowery. They were both originally from Chicago. They were passing through with a load of opium before getting caught in local gang wars. Hank said losing the opium almost got him killed, but it was the best thing that ever happened to him, because he met his wife, Leia.

Hank looked over his shoulder as she hurried in. “Nice of you to join us, kid.” He tossed her a rag as she pulled on grease-smeared coveralls. “Here. The Falcon's coughing again. Probably her radiator. Better check her out.”

Rey rolled her eyes. “The Falcon” was the truck Hank and Charles drove to New York with their fabled opium shipment in 1917. It apparently hadn't run well even then. Nowadays, it was really a piece of garbage, but Hank would never get rid of it. “She's a classic,” Hank would boast. “She made the Kessel Run through upstate New York in just twelve minutes. Cops haven't caught her yet.”

Finn waved her over. He, Snap, and Jess were already hard at work, up to their elbows in grease and transmission fluid. “Hey, Rey.” Finn had the most infectious grin in the Bowery. There was something so adorable about it. You couldn't help grinning back. “Where have you been all morning? Hank's been askin' about you.”

All four of them were as different as could be. Rey was short and feisty, with brown hair she usually tugged back into three loose buns. Jess was pretty and exotic, with her tanned skin and almond-shaped eyes. Snap was a big guy, with longish brown hair and a scruffy beard. He had a plump, round face that made people think he was a pushover...until they met his fist. Finn was another big guy, with deep cocoa-colored skin and large brown eyes that shined when he was working on a car or talking to his friends.

“I took a walk down to the end of Canal Street.” She peered into the hood. “Wrench please, Snap.”

“All the way down there?” Snap handed her the requested tool.

“I went to see that old house Mr. Ematt was talking about at his real estate agency.” She started twisting lug nuts. “Remember when we went there last week, and he told us about the old Skywalker Manor? He said someone just bought it, but he could probably talk them into letting us have our Halloween party there.”

Finn winced. “Didn't he say that place was haunted?”

Jess grinned as she poked her head out of a Chrysler Saratoga that needed it's engine cleaned. She had a streak of grime across her high cheekbones. “In that case, it would be perfect for our Halloween party. We wouldn't need to hang sheet ghosts on the walls. We'd have real ones.”

“Yeah!” Snap leaned into the Falcon next to Rey. “Doesn't it have a huge fireplace? We could tell stories around the fire and roast marshmallows.”

“We'd have to clean the chimney.” Finn wiped off his hands with a no-longer-white rag. “And find wood somewhere. And a metal screen. I don't want to burn the house down. Mr. Ematt would never let us hear the end of it. Especially with the housing shortage going on.”

Jess slid under the Chrysler. “I wonder why no one lives there?”

“It's too big.” Hank came over to them, a pile of tools his his arms. He tossed one to Jess' disembodied hand when it stuck out. “Too big and too old for most people. No one's lived there since Andrew Waller and his wife Patricia died.”

Rey shivered, and only partially from the chilly wind coming in through the drafty, cracked windows. “How did they die?” She banged on the side of the radiator with her wrench.

Jess slid out, her ears pricked. “Was it gruesome?”

“I don't know the details. I got most of the story from Leia and Ol' Benton Kenobi, before Kenobi died in a gang fight.” Hank leaned on the cherry-red hood of a 1933 Buick. “Waller was a cop about 50 years ago. He caught Patricia with his best friend Kenobi, jumped to conclusions, and attacked her. Kenobi apparently gave him a good sock in the chin...but forgot the fireplace was lit. His buddy landed in the fire and ended up burning almost his entire right side off.”

He frowned. “Patricia was pregnant. She went into labor early. Her twins survived. She didn't. They eventually gave the kids to loving families who'd protect them from their father.”

“Wow.” Snap grabbed a can of oil. “Now that's spooky. Do you think they're still there?”

Hank put up a hand. “Don't get ideas, kid. There ain't no such thing as ghosts.”

Finn shivered. “I don't know about that. I swear our apartment building's haunted. I keep hearing noises in the middle of the night.”

Jess went back under the Chrysler. “Finn, our apartment building is old. 1800's old. Before radio and the movies, even.”

“Right, mate.” Rey smacked him lightly on the shoulder with a towel. “Old buildings make noise. If you think that's bad, you should have seen the orphanage I used to live in when I was in England. It dated to the 1600's. I swear, it creaked and coughed more than the Falcon on the Manhattan Bridge.”

“Besides,” Snap added, wiping his hands on a rag, “Poe walks in his sleep when he's nervous. You know he's been crazy these past few days about getting a job with Mrs. Solo. She's his idol, man.”

Jess finally emerged from under the Chrysler, her face streaked with grease. “I wonder who could afford to buy Skywalker Manor? It's a big place. I doubt it was cheap.”

Finn looked up from helping Hank wash the Buick. “Did Ematt tell you? And why would they let us have our party there?”

The girl shrugged. “Some new science business called Starkiller Industries bought it. He said they're going to demolish the place anyway. As long as we stayed out of the boarded-up areas, we had free reign. I guess they figure we couldn't do anything worse to it. ”

“Starkiller Industries?” Hank raised an eyebrow. “I think I've heard of them. They're developing new drugs and ways of helping people with brain problems.”

Snap shivered as the fall breeze blew in from Canal Street. “I heard the Nazis did some seriously scary stuff to people's minds. They'd hypnotize them, or something, and would make them kill people.”

“You've been listening to I Love A Mystery in the dark again.” Finn polished the chrome on the Chrysler. “It's getting to you, man. No one can do that.”

“I'd keep an open mind, if I were you.” Hank tossed the rag into a wicker hamper. “I heard the Nazis experimented with a lot of crazy stuff during the war. Some of it sounded like it was out of Flash Gordon, but it was real.”

Rey sighed. “They're probably just looking for an office building that's away from the grind.”

The others looked at each other doubtfully. Hank rolled his eyes. “We have to finish these cars. The owners will be around before closing. And Rey, you need to get on the Falcon.”

“Get on that thing?” A warm, familiar voice filled the air. “Hank, you couldn't make that heap jump-start with five cables and a battery the size of the Empire State Building.”

“Poe!” The kids all leaped from around the cars and gathered around their friend. Poe was the group's leader and older brother figure. Rey hadn't seen him look so happy in ages. He was even wearing a natty new suit. His wild black curls were slicked back under his brown hat.

Baby the corgi trotted behind him, her orange collar nearly matching her burnt orange and white fur. She sprinted over to Rey and jumped on her legs, barking happily. “Hi, girl.” Rey patted the dog. “How are you? Happy for your master?” Baby gave another excited yip. She was just happy to see all her favorite people in one place, especially her very favorite, Rey.

“Well, did you get it?” Finn gave Poe one of his huge grins. “Did you get the job?”

“You are looking,” Poe stated proudly, “at the new junior investigator for Mrs. Leia Organa-Solo herself, only the greatest lady to have ever been a police commissioner in this burg.” Hank snorted but said nothing, concentrating on the Buick.

“You got the job!” Finn hugged him. The others gathered around.

“Congratulations!” Jess patted him on the shoulder. “I knew you could do it!”

Snap gave him such a slap on the back, Poe almost ended up on top of the Falcon. “You'll be a great investigator.”

“I even have my first assignment.” Poe's chest puffed out to three times its normal size. “Mrs. Solo wants me to help find her brother, Mr. Luke Waller, the former Chief of Police. He's been missing for three years, ever since a bunch of hooligans called The Knights of Ren burned down his Home for Wayward Children. He resigned after that and left town. No one's heard from him since.”

“I heard about that.” Jess shook her head. “My mom told me about it. She was friends with Mrs. Solo and Mr. Waller. It was horrible. A lot of kids died.”

“Yeah.” The small, curly-haired young man looked up at Hank as he shut the top of the Buick. “You know, Mr. Solo, Mrs. Solo was asking about you.”

“I'm sure she was.” Hank went to the grimy old porcelain sink and washed his hands.

“She wanted to know if I'd seen you.” Poe took Baby from Rey. The puppy licked him on the cheek. “She said you haven't called her in a while.”

“I haven't.” The older man wiped his hands on a towel hanging by the sink. “Leia doesn't want to see me.”

“That's not what she told me.” Baby pushed her nose under Poe's chin, trying to get his attention. He absently scratched her between the ears. “She misses you. You and Ben.”

Hank hesitated, but finally just shook his head. “She doesn't miss me. We split up for a reason.”

“Aw, come on, Hank,” Finn protested. “She's your wife!”

The older man rolled his eyes. “Not anymore. We broke up after our son went in reform school.”

Poe set Baby on the floor and took her leash. “Have you signed the divorce papers yet?”

“No.”

Rey stuck her chin out. “Then she's still your wife.”

There was an awkward silence for a few seconds before Hank glared at the kids behind him. “Don't you all have other things you could be doing? Like fixing cars?” One look at the older man's angry face sent the kids scurrying towards the hood of the Falcon.

Finn gave Poe one of his big grins. “Are you still going to come to the Halloween party?”

Jess nodded. “Our Wizard of Oz group wouldn't be right without its Scarecrow.”

“Wouldn't miss it.” Poe laughed when Baby threw in her own bark. “And Baby's dying to be Toto and try to snitch all the candy, even though I've told her a thousand times that chocolate's not good for dogs.”

“You're invited too, Hank,” Rey added. “You and Charles.”

“Thanks.” He poked into the Falcon, messing with the wiring. “Wouldn't miss it. Charles is with his wife in Hoboken right now, but I'm sure he'll be happy to get the invitation.”

Poe gathered Baby's leash. “I'll see you guys later. I have to go interview Detective San Tekka. He's been on the force longer than anyone else in the 34^th Precinct. He swears he knows something about Luke's location. He was a friend of the family for years.”

“You be careful, Sam Spade.” Finn tossed the polish-covered rag in the hamper. “Don't let all those bad guys sell you a lead Maltese Falcon.”

“Or fill you full of lead,” Jess added from under the hood of the Saratoga.

“I'll be fine. I know what I'm doing.” The smaller man tipped his hat. “I'll see you guys tonight for dinner at Maz's.”

Rey waved at him from under the Falcon's hood. “See you then!”