Title: "By Dawns Early Light"
Written by: Shawn30
Chapter 1/1
Summary: When Rey challenged Ben to not just heed the call of the Light, but challenged him live in it she wasn't quite prepared for his response. 'Inspired by the Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker teaser trailer'
Characters: Rey, Ben Solo Category: Drama/Romance
Authors Notes. Having attended the Star Wars Celebration Panel Live and watching Stephen Colbert ask Reylo questions, which no doubt Disney had to approve of beforehand, I have zero doubt Reylo plays a major role in Episode 9. And among a crowd of strangers to have so many comment they felt Rey and Ben were training and not about to fight was cool as fuck. The trailer and the people inspired this little one-shot.
Authors Notes 2: The long-awaited "40 Days" is coming in the next week. It's a very, very long one-shot and the sequel to "Razor Blades Edge"
Authors Notes 3: This story takes place 18 months after "The Last Jedi"
"True love doesn't happen right away; it's an ever-growing process. It develops after you've gone through many ups and downs, when you've suffered together, cried together, laughed together."
- Ricardo Montalban
The Planet 'Jakku'
The Corlorn Desert - 400 miles west of Niima Outpost
Early morning Current Temperature: 110 degrees
And so it began.
Surrounded by Jakku's desolate mountains and desert canyons, Rey ignored the sore aches and pains that inevitably accompanied her harsh all-day Force training. Her feet dug into the hot sand as the air around her hissed and crackled with a powerful incoming Force-presence. The endless scorched badlands stretched out as far as the eye could see, ever a hopeless reminder of just how barren her homeworld was. Abandoned as a child, homeless, dependent solely upon herself and often starving - she survived it all. Every Kriffing thing this dead rock of a planet threw at her failed to break her. Confidence stirred within her now.
Rey steadied her focus, blocking all else from her thoughts. The sweltering heat beating down on her was all too familiar, but she summoned the living Force within to maintain. She wasn't just ready for this test. She was looking forward to it.
Her eyes squinted in the distance, peering through the oppressive haze as Ben's Tie-Silencer resembled a violent sandstorm more than a fighter as it roared ever closer. Her teeth gritted, feet dug deeper into the sand as she drew her lightsaber and ignited it.
Her thoughts drifted back several months ago when Emperor Palpatine somehow returned from the dead and incited a civil war within the First Order, fracturing it and sending the galaxy into utter chaos. The section that remained loyal to Supreme Leader Ren forged an uneasy truce with the rejuvenated Resistance to combat the new threat, with assurances that once Palpatine was defeated a merger of sorts would occur - a path to something new and better for all.
The monumental work and building of trust to get there had only just begun and was tentative at best, but against such a galaxy-wide threat as Palpatine they would either live together or die alone. Strange bedfellows chose each other over annihilation in the end. After all, no one could win a war if everyone were dead.
And no one was aware that Rey and Ben had begun visiting each other again through their newly re-engaged Force-bond. Those visits facilitated the First Order/Resistance truce negotiations and more... The mask of indifference and business-only conversations were a facade for what was brewing between them. For what had always been there. Accusations and ugly truths gave way to mature understanding and a level of forgiveness that was simply necessary to get through this thing called life. So they called a private truce between them, forging ahead in the name of survival, while quietly admitting there was far more to them than that. Their attraction and feelings became an undeniable truth.
Three and a half standard months ago they simply stopped denying them.
That was when Rey asked Ben for high-level Force training to face Palpatine's vast clone armies and eventually the monster himself. Ben explained that the unnatural abilities the Dark Side could grant would make her more powerful than she had ever been before, even as she began the long rebuilding process of the Jedi Order. Though he wasn't keen on her end-goal concerning the Jedi, he reminded her that the old ways were dead. She needed more than that relic of a religion could teach her, and that what the Dark Side could offer should no longer be ignored by those that lived in the Light.
They were now working on the balance of it all.
Back in the present, Rey's gaze narrowed as the incoming sandstorm grew in intensity. She shoved the stifling heat bearing down on her into the back of her mind and shut the door on it. Settled her thoughts on the here and now. This task. This test.
The highly-advanced First Order Tie-Silence was seconds away, advancing at a violent rate a speed that would tear her body apart upon impact. Eyes set on her target, Rey summoned the raw power of the Force within her - the Dark Side and the Light - a tiny spark she fed with her indomitable will that set it ablaze, thundering in her soul. The Light and the Dark coursed through her as she turned on her heel, her back to the ship blazing towards her.
Rey broke out into a desperate sprint, blood pumping furiously through her veins, and then at the last second leapt high in the air with fierce grace, somersaulting backwards, her timing immaculate, and landed with a sharp, sudden smack on top of the Tie-Silencer.
Steadying her footing as the fighter sped up even more, her lightsaber flickered with blinding speed as it slashed all four target-nodes from the top of the wing tips, and then she somersaulted off and stuck the Kriffing landing in the sand. She shouted a loud Jakku swear in triumph that could have made a mountain tremble.
Through their Force-Bond Rey felt Ben's immense pride at her victory and it made her blush lightly. He was pleased. A bit in awe. And aroused. So was she.
Exhaling at last, Rey extinguished her lightsaber while watching as Ben rounded the Tie Silencer back around at frenetic rate of speed. He aimed right for her, killing the engines barely ten-feet away, twisting the deadly starship at an angle that sent a giant wave of sand blasting away from them into the air. It was a maneuver that should have been impossible, and yet for him was mildly difficult. In her mind she teased 'Showoff,' but was grinning wildly because he was here and she hadn't seen him in seventeen standard days.
When she felt the absolute ache of missing her from him she knew they were doomed. Completely doomed. But at least they were doomed together.
Upon reading his communication, Rey didn't understand why Ben wanted to meet on Jakku of all places. He asked her to bring three days' worth of clothes and essentials and offered nothing more in the way of an explanation. She would have been perfectly fine to never step foot on Jakku again. She held no love for it at all. Not a single memory save for meeting Finn here ever crossed her mind. But all of that faded away when the Tie-Silencer canopy flipped upward and he appeared, towering as ever in the blinding sunlight.
Rey drank in the beloved sight of Ben Solo as he effortlessly leapt from the Tie-Silencer with a flip every bit as regal as it was extraordinary. When he landed and rose to his full height, he cut such an imposing figure - so powerfully built, he filled out his black attire with the obvious allure of chiseled muscles on his tall, sleek frame. A light gust of wind brushed his raven hair as he marched towards her with purpose - each step as if he owned the very ground beneath his feet. They locked eyes... She greeted him with a daring smirk. "Nailed it."
Nearly overcome with emotion, Ben wasted no time drawing her in his arms after seventeen long days apart. His warm embrace closes around her slender waist and there is no more space between them. He swept her feet off the sand, drowning in the exquisite heat of holding her so tightly, and then buried his face in the crook of her neck and shut his eyes. When she shivered lightly he caressed her lower back, relishing in her presence. His voice carried barely above a whisper. "Well done."
And then his mouth slanted over hers before her feet hit the sand again. His lips felt so soft, and the luscious sounds of passionate kissing and sighing sent tingles of pleasure through her. His kiss was positively delicious, filled hunger for her, and some small part of her was delighted by the slightly minty flavor of his tongue as he'd thought about kissing her enough that he had prepared to be presentable. Her arms curled around his neck, her fingers teasing his silky hair as her tongue curled softly around his. When he trembled against her, she felt it between her thighs... The knowledge that Ben Solo was an amazing kisser was yet another of her secret treasures. Something all for her and no one else, ever.
The oppressive heat of her homeworld didn't fucking matter at all. She was home, but it had absolutely nothing to do with Jakku.
After a sweet little suck on the tip of her tongue, Ben reluctantly relinquished her mouth. But the sight of her rosy parted lips sent him back in for one final, lingering taste. They swayed passionately, a perfect well-practiced rhythm, and he knew there would be no coming back from this. He had never in all his life gave any thought or contemplated the merits of kissing, but he could kiss Rey for the rest of his life. His arms rose from her waist as he tenderly cradled her lovely face, lost in her natural beauty. When it ended all that he could do was gaze into her beautiful brown eyes. "I was gunning my ship at full speed. The skill you showed in manipulating the Force - in knowing not only when to jump, but how high and how far were a perfect mix of utilizing the Light and the Dark. You summoned and commanded both to your will. In that moment you did not hesitate. And if I were your enemy you would have easily killed me."
"I suppose this is where I compliment my teacher?"
He arched a brow. "If you feel so inclined."
As her tippy-toes dipped in the sand, Rey rose ever so and claimed his lush mouth, kissing him deeply. urgently. She felt him twitch over her belly, and the sensation made her hum in his mouth. He wanted her with every fiber of his being and she reveled in the knowledge.
"You were very impressive," Ben complimented as they shared a knowing expression, the heat between them simmering in a way that had nothing to do with Jakku. His arms closed around her once more.
"So do I get a gold medal?" Rey joked while lightly clutching his dark shirt.
"You don't want a gold medal."
"No, I want to know why you asked me to stay with you for three days on the most un-fun planet in the entire universe that boasts daily temperatures always in the triple digits, and you choose to wear all-black clothing with leather gloves. It's like you want to suffer a heat stroke."
This version of Rey; playful, confident, and at complete ease with him was his absolute favorite. He did not smile at her, but his amusement was easy to pick up on. "The Dark Side of the Force requires me to wear all black."
She snorted in his arms, "Try again."
"Maybe I have a travel bag with attire that isn't all dark in nature."
"Well that's good because on Jakku you'll pass out in the evil heat of this place."
Ben blinked, gazing down at her with a swell of amusement dancing in his eyes. "Who said we're spending three days on Jakku."
Her bright eyes widened suspiciously. She wasn't prepared for that. "But you said to meet you here and bring enough gear for three days."
"I never said we were staying here." Surprise lit her face as her expression turned whimsical. The top of her head came to barely above the middle of his chest and if their Force-Bond wasn't so powerful he would have secretly loved it. But she already knew that he did. He was far to infatuated with this one. She already owned more of him than he knew existed. "Let's get on my ship. Now where did you park that hunk of junk of yours?"
Rey's gaze narrowed at him as she wriggled out of his embrace, but now so far that he couldn't take her again. "I'll have you know that hunk of junk of mine will fly rings around that fancy, over-priced, ego-tripping toy of yours."
"It's... it's not a toy."
"It's so a toy. And it did not escape my notice that you did not defend it being a fancy, over-priced ego trip of a ship."
Rey could be petty at times, but he found it cute. She was ever competitive. His equal in that regard. It was one of her most endearing qualities. That was why he bent down and brushed a kiss over her forehead because he simply couldn't resist doing so any longer. "We need to be off-world and into hyperspace in the next two hours if we're going to get where we need to go on-time."
"Then tell me where we're going?"
Squinting in the penetrating glare of the sun, Ben stepped aside and motioned for her to follow him to his ship. He wasn't going to give into her so easily. "Am I allowed to surprise you?"
Ben could so easily elicit little butterflies in her belly with that deep voice of his. "Depends."
"On what terms?"
"Is this business of pleasure?" Rey felt him halt beside her, and then immediately invade her personal space. The warmth of his minty fresh breath fanned over her earlobe.
"Most definitely pleasure."
Rey shivered, but tried to play it off cool. To not let what he said and its immensely desired implications reveal just how pleased she was. How badly she was looking forward to it. To him. Them. "I would remind you that the old Jedi Code clearly shunned physical pleasures of the flesh."
"I was never very good at being a Jedi," Ben didn't hesitate to reply, and then fixed her with a sudden, surprising smile. "The eternal celibacy of the Jedi Code would have been impossible to uphold had I been around you each day."
"The inescapable futility of resisting me would have been your downfall?"
"That's a reasonable line of thought."
"That's the most romantic thing you have ever said to me."
"Clearly I'm a novice at this."
"I think you're doing pretty spectacular."
"And yet you considered that I intended to romance you on this remote, lawless, inhospitable rock you call a homeworld?"
"You were unclear about the nature of this trip. You had not been specific concerning expectations." They stood before his Tie-Silencer with sand flies buzzing about. "Perhaps you would care to clarify the finer details of what I should expect."
The soft blush she wore left him breathless as he struggled for the courage to express himself the right way. She deserved better than the best he could offer, but he swore that if he were to truly pursue her, he would do it the right way. Her Light illuminated the Darkness that had ruined his life, and set a path before him he thought was impossible. But here and now he wanted the responsibility of making her happy. Even though he knew she could accomplish that on her own, he desperately wanted the job. She was so special to him. "I am taking you to a planet called Naboo. It was my grandmother's homeworld, and it is a beautiful world the likes of which you have never seen before."
Ben felt her growing excitement and nearly smiled again. Nearly. "In the last standard month I have restored an estate there near the Lake Country that we will be staying at. I want to show you a true paradise, Rey. I... I just want to make you happy."
Her beautiful, tortured Ben... He possessed a dark, possessive energy, indomitable confidence and its sibling; his bone-deep vulnerable side that perfectly complimented her own - their matching emotional scars meant she would never have to explain to him what it felt like to feel devastatingly alone. But she didn't feel alone anymore. Not since they finally broke through the wall of their feelings and began building this little home all their own. That he wanted to make her happy and take her to a paradise evoked such emotion within her.
Rey sighed, and then walked into him, and rested her head over his chest. "You already make me happy."
"More than that insufferable jerk-pilot and the traitor - sorry, your best friends?"
"And just like that the moment is broken and I want to kick you again." The sound of Ben Solo's laugh - a most reserved and yet cherished sound made her smile so brightly.
A wave of infinite tenderness came over him when he pressed a kiss to her temple. He felt her delight through their bond and the peace she felt when he was near. That was worth protecting. Was worth fighting all the evil and anger still within him as the Dark Side was not so easily discarded. But it held no value in comparison to her. "To say that I deeply love you somehow feels inadequate."
When Rey fixed her gaze on his handsome face she was met with a wide, unexpected smile. "And on most days I love you too."
Her impish, provocative grin was a pleasure to behold. "Romantic declaration aside, can we please venture off this Force-forsaken rock?"
"Yes, but I'm flying your ship back to the Falcon and then you're setting the auto-pilot on yours. We're taking my ship."
"My ship is faster, newer, and infinitely more modern."
"Does it have a bed that will allow you to fuck my brains out all the way to Naboo?"
Ben paused almost comically. "... the Falcon it is." Her smile was a triumph all its own.
"I'm the smarter of the two of us. You might want to get used to that."
"However did I fall in love with a smart-mouthed, know-it-all, former scavenger turned Jedi Resistance leader?"
"However did I fall in love with an arrogant, short-tempered, former Jedi, former Sith, former Supreme Leader turned the galaxies best boyfriend?"
"I don't know why, but I thank the Force every single day of my life that you do. And I will never make you regret it.
"And I never will."
The End
I'm thinking no sequel, but I just didn't have time to write the smut this one needs. We'll see... *wink*