Set It Free

When they met on the grassy plain, pre-storm winds whipping their cloaks, they stopped and locked gazes like loth-wolves. Rey's breath caught in her throat. This was an encounter she'd dreaded for so long. The air crackled with the currents of power between her and Kylo Ren. Light and dark created an energy not unlike the thunderstorm bearing down on them.

At first, they said nothing as they circled each other, their gazes wary. His emotions roiled like the thunderheads above him but she sensed no hatred in him. Everything she'd planned to say to him had they ever met again went out the window. Her body remained tense, ready for anything.

He stopped his pacing. "Rey, we need to talk," he said gently, his thick black eyebrows raised. She knew that signaled his sincerity. He wasn't trying to trick her.

A fat raindrop splattered on her forehead. More fell upon them as the dark skies opened up.

"Over there," he said, cocking his head toward a bunker on the hill. "We'll be out of the rain."

"Fine, let's go," she said, running alongside him up the grass as rain continued to fall.

They were both wet when they reached the inside of the long-abandoned bunker. It appeared Imperial by design, like the interior of an old Star Destroyer. The lights flickered, but they still worked. They stood facing each other. "You know I've always been ready to talk whenever you were," she said.

"Were you? I wasn't sure when we last parted...how you felt about me," he said in his deep, resonant voice.

Rey sighed, not eager to revisit that painful moment. "I was disappointed. Saddened. I didn't want you as my enemy."

"Believe it or not, I don't think of you as my enemy. You're too..." He swallowed nervously. "You're too special to me."

Rey's eyes went wide with shock. Her heart started beating faster.

"There are times when I've been angry and I think about all of the things I would say to you, but then I see you and I just can't imagine actually saying them. By all rights I should hate you. I should want revenge for defeating me on Starkiller and leaving me scarred. Or for leaving me on the Supremacy. But I don't."

"It's because the dark side hasn't fully claimed your soul," she said.

"I know it hasn't. But it's more than that and you know it. The truth is, I love you. Yet it's beyond those simple words. It's..."

"As though we're two halves of a greater whole," she said, her eyes starting to fill with tears. "I know. I love you too...Ben."

They moved slowly toward each other, each focusing on the other's lips. She finally closed her eyes and the next thing she felt was his surprisingly soft, full lips on hers. Her soul felt like it exploded into stars. She leaned in closer, kissing him deeper and deeper. She tasted the salt of their tears. He pulled her into his arms and pressed her against him so tightly she felt his heart pounding against her chest. She wrapped her own arms around his shoulders, her hand stroking his hair.

Finally their lips parted. Without saying a word, she caressed the scar on his face. It was the first time in a long time she was able to touch him in the flesh and never to the degree she'd been able to now. He shared the same amazement; he started caressing her cheek, sensuously running his thumb across her lips. Then he reached behind her head to release her hair from the clips holding it back from her face.

"You're so beautiful with your hair down," he said, running his hand through it. "You don't realize just how lovely you are."

Her heart froze; she'd never given her looks any thought. "You don't realize what's beautiful about yourself," she countered.

"There isn't," he said, shaking his head. "I'm a monster who craves an angel, a demon in awe of a goddess." He couldn't stop moving his hands over her jaw, her neck, and shoulders.

"You're a fallen man but I can help you get back up again and be something far more than you believe you are," she whispered, looking intently into his eyes, her fingers caressing his shoulders.

"I desperately want to believe you."

The heat between them was palpable.

"The tension between us," he whispered in a ragged breath, "is so great. It grew as our powers did. You feel it just as I do. It's been there since we met."

"I know," she said. A new sense of longing and need, a different kind from what she had felt for her parents, had haunted her all of this time. And it wasn't just for anyone, it was for him. She couldn't tell anyone else how she felt. Who would understand the symbol of the Resistance and all it stood for having desires for the Supreme Leader of the First Order? She suspected it was the same for Ben.

Again, their isolation connected them.

"We're already bound together," he said softly. "We have an intimacy beyond that of ordinary lovers, even married couples. The Force made us for one another. It wants us together. There's only one thing left..."

"The last piece of the puzzle to fall into place," she said, feeling as though she was in a trance. His eyes were so mesmerizing and he seemed as though he was under her spell. "I'm nervous," she admitted.

"Me too," he said with a brief lopsided grin, so much like his father's. It almost broke her heart. But perhaps more of what the Dark Side had buried was finally coming to light. Oh, I promise I'll take care of him and love him, she prayed to his departed parents.

He leaned in close again, his full lips mere millimeters from hers. "Only thing we can do is set it free," he whispered.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and captured his mouth in a hungry kiss with the same abandon as the time she entered that watery cave on Ahch-To. He was surprised by her ardor then he returned her kiss with equal fervor. He effortlessly scooped her up by her waist and pressed her against a wall, his body against hers and her heart almost stopped. She could see in his eyes the same feral hunger he had in battle. He pulled open her tunic and explored the bared skin with his mouth and hands. She didn't recognize her own cries. It felt as though her body was on fire. She never wanted him to stop.

He paused to yank off his leather gloves and tossed them aside. His gloved hands felt good to her before but his own skin felt even better. Judging by his own guttural moans, it felt good to him too. He pulled down her breast band, exposing her to his approving gaze. "They're perfect," he gasped. Eagerly and perhaps a bit too roughly, he cupped his hands over her breasts. Still it was hardly unpleasant. She arched her back and neck and sighed with the sensations throughout her body as he fondled her as though he was the first man to ever discover a woman.

Then he kissed her collarbone and trailed his lips and tongue down. She trembled at the sensation of his hair on her breasts. He knelt down to finally take her into his mouth, his tongue and teeth sending waves of heat through her entire being. When he massaged her other breast, she let out a cry that almost sounded like a scream. "You're loud," he muttered, his breath on her sensitive skin even more scintillating.

"I don't care if they hear me three systems away," she hissed.

He pulled away her tunic and unwrapped her breast band, casting them aside. He explored her abdomen, flicking his long tongue in her navel, then he moved his attention to her pants. She bit down on her lip but offered no resistance as he yanked them down to just above her boots. Her underpants soon followed, leaving her bare to him. He paused to admire her. "So beautiful," he said. "You're completely natural. I love that." She didn't feel ashamed at all. She felt like a goddess, leaving this powerful man in awe of her.

He rose up, entranced. He kissed her, his hand slipping between her legs. She yelped and jumped at the shocking sensation. "I'm sorry," she muttered sheepishly. "That was just...surprising."

"I just want to explore you," he whispered in her ear, "Will you let me?"

"Of course," she said, caressing his jaw. She relaxed and gave herself to his ministrations. She moaned and he grew bolder in his touch. She started moving her body as she felt tension building inside of her, not unlike one time she remembered from years ago when she sat on a humming engine she'd been repairing that inexplicably made her feel very, very good. But this was more intense and far more pleasurable. "Oh, Ben," she sighed. He seemed transfixed by not only what he was doing but also by her. He then placed those plush lips next to her ear. "Release yourself for me," he pleaded.

It was enough to send pulses of energy through her. She leaned forward, crying out in pleasure into his chest, letting it absorb her voice. She then fell back against the wall, panting. Lasciviously, he licked one of the fingers he'd used to pleasure her. "Your nectar is so sweet."

She shuddered again. Moments later, she recovered in a haze of desire. She tore off her boots, her pants, and her undergarment, leaving her with nothing but the the bands on her arms. "I want to see you," she said huskily. "All of you." Eagerly, he pulled off his cloak, his cowl, his tunic, his neck brace, and his boots.

She eagerly ran her hands over his bare chest and abdomen, Ben sighing contentedly. She brushed her hands over his massive arms. She was amazed at his body, soft smooth skin over hard muscle. She showered his chest with small kisses. Feeling a bit more daring, she sucked on a nipple as he'd just done to her. He jumped and laughed. "I see you're sensitive too," she grinned. She made a lascivious swirl with her tongue around his areole, then her hands went beneath the waistband of his pants. He gasped and sighed at her touch.

Soon the pants were pooled on the floor, his black undergarment tossed on top of them. He was completely bare to her now. She took in his entire body, a contrast of dark hair and fair skin, cut through with scars and dotted with freckles and moles. "You're huge!" she blurted out. To her shock, his cheeks turned a dark pink. "I'm sorry," she stammered. "I meant all of you, not just..." Her own cheeks got warm.

"As long as you meant it as a compliment," he said, almost shyly. He was as vulnerable as a newborn to her gaze and she sensed he wasn't comfortable with vulnerability.

"Of course I did," she smiled, admiring his long powerful legs, his broad chest, and chiseled abdomen. She reached up to touch the scar she'd given him on Starkiller, tracing it from his chest to just beneath his eye. He closed his eyes as she traced the same finger down the bridge of his nose to his lips. He kissed her finger then he held her close to him, resting his chin on her head. It was tender and erotic, their bodies touching, each reveling in the others' warmth.

Then, she grabbed onto his shoulders and hoisted herself up, wrapping her legs around his waist. "Whoa!" he gasped. His shock echoed through their connection as she attacked his lips with a sloppy but smoldering kiss. They tumbled to the durasteel floor. "Ow!" he cried as he hit the floor on his back and she tumbled on top of him.

"Are you all right?" she laughed.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," he said. "You're still dangerous to my health..."

"Let me make it up to you." She pressed kisses up and down his body, exploring him with her lips, tongue, and hands to his expressive delight. He trembled, completely at her mercy. When she took his manhood into her hands, he threw back his head and swore in Huttese. She had no idea what she was doing but it was clear he was enjoying it. Here she was, a lost abandoned girl, turning this feared man, a scion of legends, into putty by her inexperienced pleasuring. She almost burst out laughing. If this was all it took to bring the mighty Kylo Ren to submission...

"Uh, p-p-please, stop."

"What's wrong? I thought you like what I'm doing."

"I love what you're doing but if you keep it up, we'll have to play sabacc until I can, uh, be ready again. Look at how I am…I'm ready for you now."

"Oh..."

He rolled her over onto her back, pressing her on the durasteel floor. He positioned himself between her legs and she could feel his need pressing against her like a battering ram. He kissed the scar on her upper arm, then moved his lips up her shoulder to her neck. He nuzzled her, kissing and sucking on her skin. She caressed the back of his neck. Then she half-closed her eyes, knowing this was it as he moved his hips. He gazed down at her, his eyes full of want and fire. Then he hesitated. She could feel he was conflicted; part of him wanted to take her like a wild beast and part of him wanted to be gentle and giving. She felt his insecurities, his fears he wouldn't satisfy her.

She kissed the tip of his nose. "It's your turn to set it free," she said with a warm smile. His expression became very tender and he kissed her, slipping himself into her body.

Their joining was slow and gentle at first, then his instinct took over. As he picked up the pace, she pulled her legs around his waist. She saw a vein popping in his neck, his skin flushed pink as he exerted himself. He seemed completely lost in her.

"My love, look at me," he begged. They exchanged a stare as intense as the first time they looked into each other's eyes in the Starkiller forest or when they clasped hands across the cosmos. Then he fell headlong into release, crying out her name, his eyes rolling back. She felt hot liquid spill into her. And then, he took her over the edge with him, sharing his climax with her. "Ben!" she cried, dragging her nails across his back.

They held each other for a long time afterward, catching their breaths. He wrapped them both in her cloak. "You know something? I'd imagined our first time together a little differently," he said. " We would be on this huge fancy bed covered with flower petals and we'd drink expensive sparkling wine. You'd wear this shimmersilk negligee, until I took it off, of course…"

She laughed and slapped him on the rear. "You're so grandiose! As long as we're alone and at peace, wherever is fine with me."

He pressed his lips to her temple and nibbled the top of her ear. "I could keep you here forever, tasting you again and again. Practice does make perfect after all."

"Forever," she sighed. "I'd like that." She looked up at him. "We're fully bonded now. Do you sense things are different? Not just between us but...everything?"

"Yeah," he said. "I think we're finally where the Force wants us to be."

"What happens when we leave?" She brushed a lock of black hair from his forehead. "Between our two sides?"

"Nothing will break us apart again," he vowed. "No war, no politics. We're together for life. No matter what. You are what I want. Nothing else."

They kissed.