I lose my step

I lose my ground

I lose myself

When you're around

I'm holding on

For my life

To keep from drowning in your eyes

(Showing my age... "Falling" by Nsync)

Rey woke up on the cold hard floor. Gone were her grimey clothes in favor of a completely impractical and all too revealing white nightgown. She took in her surroundings, immediately noticing that she was no longer on the Millennium Falcon. Had they landed already? Who had moved her? Who had changed her clothes? Why was everything black?

"Hello?" She called into the darkness. It seemed to swallow up the sound immediately.

She pushed herself up off of the shimmery black floor and squinted to try to see something, anything, in the darkness that surrounded her. It was no use. Everything was black. The only source of light, she realized, seemed to be coming from her.

Rey swallowed down her fear and called out again. "Hello? Is anybody there?"

As a response she heard very faint whispering, but she couldn't make out a single word.

"Please speak louder or come closer. I can't hear you."

The whispers did seem to come closer, but she didn't sense a physical being approaching.

He's coming. He's coming. She finally made the words out. Run. Run. They told her.

"I don't understand..." She whispered back.

He's coming. He's coming. Run. Run. The whispers urged her. She could almost feel wisps of breathe on her skin.

Run NOW!

Rey still didn't understand, but when someone warned her to run, she ran. Bunching her nightgown in a hand, she started to run. She couldn't see at all where she was going and hoped to not run into anything. Although she was in the pitch dark, she sensed that she wasn't in a room. There was the floor beneath her but all around her felt like open space. Nothingness.

Finally, Rey collided with what seemed to be a soft wall. She was knocked back off her feet. Since the only light was emanating from her, she could easily see the obstacle in her path. Looking up, she gasped. Ben was in this nothingness as well.

He appeared to be as shocked as she was, but he reached out his hand, as if by reflex, to help her up. Rey timidly took his hand, and he pulled her to her feet. They studied each other for a moment before she could no longer take the silence.

"What is this? Did you do this?!" She asked, trying not to sound like she was accusing him of any wrongdoing.

"No," he replied simply, still studying her.

"Where are we?"

Ben didn't answer her. His eyes were still roaming over her, too intensely in her opinion. This made her feel a bit exposed in her ridiculous nightgown, causing her to wrap her arms around herself to block some of his view.

"Why are you the only source of light?" He finally questioned, his eyes meeting hers.

The look in his eyes unnerved her. It reminded her of when he had interrogated her on Starkiller Base. No familiarity. No softness. Just an almost wild hunger for knowledge.

Rey took a step back, away from him before she answered, "I don't know."

Ben took a few slow steps to close the small distance between them. His eyes locked on hers, and she could not look away. He brushed her hair behind her shoulders, then his left hand trailed to her shoulder and down her arm while his right rested on her cheek. The look on his face changed to an almost fascination as he touched her. Rey was too afraid to move. To push him away. Something wasn't right, and for whatever reason she knew to let him go through these motions.

Rey had never been afraid of him. Even at his most Kylo Ren of moments. However, there was something off about this interaction. This erie feeling began to build and the whispers returned.

He has you now. He has you. Don't let him in. Don't let him in.

Rey waited for Ben's reaction but it didn't come. He apparently couldn't hear the whispers. She tried to pulled away from him, but this just caused him to grip her upper arms tightly to prevent her from going anywhere.

"You really are beautiful, Rey," his voice was low, and though he complimented her, he sounded dangerous.

"You're hurting me," she whispered, indicating his bruising grip on her arms.

"Good," he told her, pulling her closer to his body.

Rey tried to fight him, but it was no use. He was too strong and there was no summoning the force in this place.

"You're not getting away from me again," Ben told her. "You're mine."

Anger suddenly surged through her. "I don't belong to anyone," she practically spat at him.

"Very good. Release your anger. Let go!" He ordered her, ignoring her words and focusing on her emotions.

Ben loosened his grip, but it was only so he could move one hand to her lower back and the other to her throat. Rey sucked in a breath, expecting him to squeeze her throat at any moment. When he did not she let out the breath slowly.

Rey decided to play this game with him. "Why do you want me?" She questioned.

"I need your light," he answered, sounding almost desperate.

Ben released her throat and slid his hand to the base of her head, at the same time he pressed her into his body.

Rey knew what was coming. She was terrified. And curious. And tempted. She unconsciously tilted her head back to look up at him and immediately felt his lips crash into hers...

Rey sat bolt upright and gasped. She was drenched in sweat. It was just a dream! She ran a hand over her face, letting it linger on her lips.

"Rey?" Poe whispered, noticing she was awake.

"Hhmm?" She whispered back, looking up at him.

"We're starting our descent," he informed her. Poe noticed that she seemed a bit shaken. "Are you ok?"

"Oh. Yeah. Just a bad dream," she forced a smile at him.

He smiled back. "Ok... Just checking. Feel free to join us when you're ready," he stated and left her alone.

Rey glanced around, expecting the force bond to activate at any moment after that dream. Luckily, there was nothing but silence. She decided to gather her few items and rejoin the group, trying her best to rid her mind of the man in black. Again.

Ben's eyes snapped open. His dream made him uncomfortable. His rage had followed him, but seeing her, just her presence, allowed him to control his emotions. His first instinct was to hurt her, but he found that he physically was unable to do it. Even as the dark whispers begged him to.

Choke her. Choke her. They had said. Make her suffer. Make her suffer. She betrayed you. Betrayed you. KILL her.

Ben was able to ignore them. Of course, it helped Rey that she looked absolutely stunning, and he couldn't help himself. He needed to see if he could touch her, if he could control his actions in this dream world. He found that he could, to a degree. He would never have attempted to kiss her otherwise.

"Sir," his com crackled, "we're landing on Jakku."

"Excellent," he replied, dragging himself to his feet.

After that dream, he almost didn't know if he could go through with his plan. Almost. He had come too far to turn back now.

Rey made her way through the small crowd looking for Finn. She wanted to talk to him before being lost in their new home once they landed. They hadn't really had time to catch up after she freed the resistance by making rocks float. She needed her friend.

"Hey," she whispered once she stood next to him. "How's she doing?" Rey asked looking down at Rose.

"Not terrible. Not great. She will need medical attention. A bacta tank would be nice..." Finn quietly told her. "What have you been up to?" He asked, turning his attention to her, genuinely interested.

"Too much to talk about right now..." She smiled at him, resting a hand on his shoulder.

"But, you're ok?" He questioned, worry clear in his voice.

"I am uninjured, if that's what you're asking."

"Uninjured is good."

"What about you? You seem... well, uninjured."

"Physically, yes. But I failed my mission. So, my ego is a bit bruised," he told her honestly. Finn could always be honest with his best friend.

"I guess we have that in common. I failed my mission as well. I may even have made things worse..."

"I'm sure you did everything that you could."

Rey smiled at Finn's blind faith in her. One thing they could each count on was the loyalty they had for the other. They were best friends, and nothing or no one would ever change that.