Chapter One: Exile

The Resistance officials decided that due to Kylo Ren's extensive and abominable crimes against the galaxy and the Republic, and Rey's support of Ben Solo when he finally turned his back on the First Order, both of them would be exiled together on a remote but habitable forest planet called Laris until such time as the Resistance deemed their sentence to have been fulfilled. Leia, of course, pulled as many strings as she possibly could without infringing on the democracy she so passionately believed in, managing to narrow their sentence down to five years at the most for Ben, a year at the most for Rey.

But Rey had told Leia that it wasn't necessary for her to decrease her own sentence; she was prepared to spend as much time as she could with the man with whom she shared a Force bond. They both still had so many questions, and they knew that the best way to answer them was if they could be alone together, where the disruptions of war, politics, and everything else wouldn't get in their way.

On her last day with the Resistance, Rey said a heartfelt goodbye to all of her friends. Finn, Poe, and Rose had all finally come to understand, if somewhat reluctantly, why she was meant to be with Ben, and that he was truly more human than they had all previously thought. They still couldn't understand half of what this mysterious connection between the two Force-users meant, but they'd accepted it as Rey's friends.

During Rey and Ben's exile, they were allowed correspondence with off-worlders via hologram only. They would be allowed visitors on Laris for one week at the end of each year. That meant that Rey and Ben would be alone for 1,825 days, and she could only see her friends for 25 of them. The thought made her feel weak and sorrowful, but when she reminded herself that she would be with Ben, she felt stronger. She knew Ben would never have forced her to stay apart from the people she loved most in the galaxy. But of course, it wasn't his decision to make.

The last thing Rey did was embrace Finn, the first friend she'd ever had, the one who'd stuck by her, who'd never given up on her after all this time. Even when she told him of her connection to Ben Solo, he never once faltered. He believed in her like no one else ever did. Rey would miss him the most.

"Just be careful out there, Rey," Finn said into Rey's neck as they hugged.

"I will, Finn."

"Especially with Mr. Dark Side Hot Shot over here," said Poe, catching Ben's annoyed glare and responding with a peevish grin.

When the two friends finally parted, Finn turned and looked straight at Ben Solo. "You better take good care of her," he said, not an ounce of humor in his eyes.

"I'll try," said Ben, "but she can take better care of herself."

"That's right," remarked Poe, still trying his best to lighten the mood as only he could.

"We all know Rey's tough enough to handle anything that tries to mess with her. To be honest, I'm slightly worried about her new friend."

"Yeah, what's he gonna do when the going gets rough?" said Rose, chiming in on Poe's teasing vibe, "whip out his big red lightsaber and scream at everything?" They both snickered playfully.

Rey smiled. She knew they were only teasing him, but she could feel Ben growing more uncomfortable, anxious to be alone with her where they could both converse on equal ground. She sent him reassuring thoughts through their bond, and sensed him relax slightly.

"I'm going to miss you all so much," said Rey, tears streaking her face. "I...I just wanted you to know that...I love you all."

"We know, Rey," said Poe with a warm smile.

"Just promise that you'll holomessage us whenever you can," said Rose.

"If you can at all. We all know you'll have plenty to keep you occupied on your little vacation," said Poe, grinning conspiratorially. Rey's cheeks pinked as she picked up on his not-so-innocent innuendo.

Still, it wasn't far from the truth. She and Ben had a lot of things they needed to figure out. For all Rey knew, it may take them five years just to sort through all the mysteries they had to solve.

"I will," said Rey, biting her lip to keep from breaking down right there in front of everyone. Emotional expression wasn't exactly her forte. At least not in the middle of the Resistance docking bay where everyone could see.

"Rey," said Ben, his voice gently urging her to join him, himself silently aware of the pain she felt in that moment. Rey took a deep breath, swiping one last tear from her cheek. She turned away from her friends, taking Ben's outstretched hand, and together they boarded the Falcon.

As soon as they were aboard, Rey pressed the button that made the hatch screech shut. She couldn't bear to look at her friends one last time, knowing that if she did she wouldn't be able to leave them.

In the cockpit, Chewy fired up the engines, snuffling to himself as his paws skimmed skillfully over the panels he knew so well.

Rey was glad that Chewy had been allowed to transport them to Laris. Over the time she'd spent with the gruff but gentle giant, she'd come to think of him almost as a kind of father-figure; Chewy always looked after her, taking her side in every fight (unless she was being unreasonable, which given her hot-headedness happened more frequently than Chewy would have preferred), and sticking by her through thick and thin, as a copilot and a friend. He was the last friend she'd see for five years, and though she knew he'd visit them whenever the Resistance allowed him to, it still felt like it would be forever.

Rey's stomach plummeted as the Falcon lifted off of the ground and began to ascend. Even then, she couldn't help looking out the cockpit window, just to glimpse the figures of her friends growing smaller as they climbed higher. They didn't wave, and Rey knew they'd be watching the Falcon for as long as their eyes could track it as it faded further into the sky.

At last, Rey let the tears come. They seared against her skin, stinging her trembling cheeks, making it progressively harder for her to watch her friends disappear from view, which only made her cry more. Chewy rested his giant paw on her arm, snuffling reassuringly, all too familiar with the kind of pain that had beat itself into her every nerve. Rey instantly felt lightened at the soft touch of her friend.

Once they cleared the planet's atmosphere, quickly fading into the dark emptiness of space, Rey got up to leave the cockpit, startled to find Ben standing in the doorway, his presence no longer a looming threat, but an overwhelming comfort. The devastation that racked her body had momentarily clouded their bond so that she couldn't feel him, even though he was so close to her the whole time. But now that she'd been able to breathe, Ben Solo's presence filled the room and her heart, dissipating the grief almost entirely. He didn't have to say anything. Looking into his eyes, Rey knew he was there for her, only her.

Rey threw herself into his arms, relishing the strength of his warm embrace. She felt so safe and so complete in his arms, she couldn't help but cry again. This time the tears were diluted with a mixture of sadness and relief, and Ben drank them in as she gave them to him. He would hold any burden that she could not carry herself without hesitation. For now, he held all of her, and she let him. For now, it was all she needed.

Chewy laid in the coordinates for Laris, pulling the lever that would activate the ship's powerful hyperdrive. Before Rey could try to copy every inch of the Resistance Base planet to her memory, the view outside the cockpit dissolved into stretching lights and bright-blue static, pulling them to their inevitable destination.