Rey lay curled up next to Ben as she stared through the open windows. From the elevated position of their treehouse she could see from their bed both the green from the forest and the shining stars in the sky. Rey smiled into her husband's shoulder as she nuzzled closer to him…
Suddenly, Ben stirred.
"Sorry," Rey rested her chin on his shoulder. "Did I wake you?"
Ben turned onto his side, now fully alert. "Are you okay? Is something wrong with the baby?"
Rey dropped her hand to her stomach at the mention of their unborn child. She was continually amazed by how Ben seemed to be even more anxious about becoming a parent than she was.
"I'm fine," Then, correcting herself, she said, "We're fine. Just having trouble sleeping is all,"
The worry lines on Ben's face disappeared as he visibly relaxed. "For a second I thought something had happened,"
Rey felt invisible Force-centric clouds of doubt settle around Ben. This wasn't the first time he'd caused ripples in the Force. Ben was all too aware of how he'd acted as an adolescent and adult, as well as the grief he'd caused his own parents. Despite how wonderful the couple's lives had been the last few months, Ben still felt things would go wrong, that the life he was now living was one he did not deserve.
To quell his anxiety in situations like these, Rey did what she felt best. Placing one hand on his chest, Rey pulled herself forward and gave Ben a kiss. She could feel the ripples around him begin to shudder, and eventually they dissipated altogether.
"Better?" Rey asked as she leaned back to look at her husband. She didn't need to see his expression to know what she'd done had helped-the Force told her all she'd needed to know-but she couldn't resist looking at him illuminated in the starlight.
Ben smiled. "Much,"
Rey adjusted her position to place her arm on his chest, and then she rested her chin on top. "Is there anything else I can do to help?" she asked in a serious tone.
"As a matter of fact, yes," Ben said. "Promise me that the First Order will leave us alone for the next six months…or six years… better yet, the rest of our lives,"
Rey was not one to make promises she knew were beyond her control. Instead, she reminded her husband, "We're safe here. A distant moon, covered by the shelter of treetops, surrounded by friends and Padawans…I couldn't think of a more secure location,"
Ben tucked a strand of hair behind Rey's ear. Even though she wore her hair down almost every night, it was always strange to view her in this fashion. Putting his hands around her waist, Ben whispered, "Come here, let's try to get some sleep,"
Rey obliged, placing her head where her arm had previously been as he pulled her close. She closed her eyes and listened to the miracle of Ben's heartbeat as his chest rose and fell with every breath.
It didn't matter if they were hiding on Endor, Takodana, or even Jakku. All that mattered to Rey was that she was in Ben's arms.