A/N: I know it has been such a long time since I've posted anything for this! Hopefully, you all find this worth the wait, and I'll try to post more regularly.

Enjoy!

Ben woke up in a cold sweat.

He wasn't sure of the reason, couldn't remember what the nightmare had been about. Silvery light streamed in through the window, an obvious sign it was still nighttime. His wife's side of the bed was vacant, her sheets pulled tight, her pillow untouched. This was understandable, no cause for alarm. She was away and had been for several days. The house was still, silent. Everything was calm. Nothing had been touched or moved, but still, his heart raced. His stomach churned. The nightmare had done its worst, affecting him though he remembered none of it. One name rang in his ears: Ara.

Basing the premise of his nightmare solely on that was enough for him to reason away the terror it had produced.

He knew what he could do to drive the fear away - something he'd done many times before. But the thought of doing it now caused guilt to settle like a weight in his stomach. While his sleeping patterns had long been disrupted by nightmares and other terrors, it wasn't fair of him to burden his daughter with the same broken sleep cycle by relying on her for comfort after such an occurrence. So, he'd content himself with a trip to the kitchen and a glass of water.

Still, as he passed his daughter's room, he listened for signs of life through the door. He reached out through the Force, prodding her ever-strengthening signature to confirm that all was well. She was dreaming - peaceful dreams, Ben noticed, to his relief. He'd leave her alone.

He did his best to stay silent as he moved about the house, picking his way from the hallway to the kitchen with light steps. The light clicked on and he poured himself a glass of water. After taking a long swig, he splashed some of it on his face for good measure. Though he knew for certain that Ara was all right, unease still tumbled in his thoughts.

She was fine. He was fine. The nightmares he'd had were just that - nightmares. Terrifying though they were, they couldn't hurt him or anyone else. Not if he didn't let them.

Maybe he'd just sit up for a while.

As he passed Ara's room for the second time that night, something told him to check on her again. He knew it was likely his paranoia, but he saw no harm in glancing inside.

The door slid open silently, and he stepped through the doorway.

Ara was tossing in her bed, the sheets twisting themselves around her. She muttered frantically, her breaths coming in short bursts. Ben frowned, reaching out once again to find her in the Force. Her previous content had morphed into horror, and Ben realized that maybe the unease he felt hadn't been his alone.

"Ara," he whispered, crouching by her bed. "Starlight, wake up."

Careful not to frighten her, he caught her shoulder.

"No…" she mumbled, her face scrunching up. She whipped the other way, yanking her shoulder out of his hand. "No! Stop it, please! Stop!"

"Ara, it's Daddy."

She whimpered, curling into a tight ball. Ben pulled her back towards him.

"It's me, Ara," he insisted, fighting to stay calm. "It's just a nightmare, Starlight. Wake up."

The next things that happened did so swiftly, in one fluid motion. Ara became still, her eyes flew open, and she shot up with a gasp, tears still streaming down her face. Her eyes roved the empty air in front of her, the terrors she'd seen now only fading shadows. Then, almost as an afterthought that occurred when she felt the weight of his hand on her arm, she turned to him, her fear melting into relief.

"Daddy," she hiccuped.

Ben was ready when she threw herself at him. He hauled her up off her bed, setting his chin on the top of her head as she buried her face in his neck. She was shaking, hoarse whimpers still falling from her lips.

"It's okay," he cooed. "It was just a nightmare. It can't hurt you, I promise."

Ara sniffed, her arms tightening around his shoulders. "Mama died," she whispered.

Ben took a deep breath. "I have those, too," he mumbled into her curls.

He paced the length of her room, patting her back. Ara drew in a shuddering breath, bringing her hand up to wipe it across her face.

"I'm sorry I woke you up."

"You didn't, Starlight. I was already awake."

After some time, she quieted. Ben knew she was calmed for the most part when he felt her tugging at a few locks of his hair. He smiled.

"You okay?"

"I'm too old to have nightmares, Daddy."

He blinked, his eyebrows rising in surprise. "You are?"

"I heard Kora say that when you turn eight, you can't have any more nightmares."

A sad smile twisted Ben's lip. "I wish that were the truth."

"You still have nightmares, right?" Ara asked after a beat of silence, still fiddling with his hair.

"Yes, Ara, I do."

She hummed, processing the information. "Will I still have nightmares when I'm a grown-up?"

Ben didn't answer this question right away. He couldn't promise her she wouldn't. But, he didn't want her to think that she'd always wake up terrified. "I hope not," he finally said.

Again, Ara answered not in words, but a short hum. A yawn echoed through her room, and Ben swallowed a yawn of his own, moving back to her bed.

"Daddy, no-!"

He stopped, pivoting and walking in the other direction. Ara relaxed.

"I'm too scared to go back to sleep."

"You should try, though."

Her hands found his hair yet again, and again she twisted it in her fingers. "What do you do?"

Ben's steady step faltered as he pondered her question. What did he do?

"Well," he said. "I have the benefit of another person with me. Usually, I see your mother, and that calms me down enough to sleep. Sometimes, the dreams are about losing you. If that's the case, I just come down here, check on you, and that's enough for most occasions. Other times, I sit with you for a little while. When you were younger - just a baby, really, and then a few of your toddler years - I'd pick you up out of your crib and bring you back to bed with me. I always slept better when you were around. And you got to the point where you loved it so much that you were disappointed to wake up in your own bed. That's when your mother made me stop."

He chuckled, affectionately tickling her sides. She giggled, but only for a moment before becoming serious again. "Can I sleep with you tonight? So I can see you when I wake up and not be scared?"

Ben considered it. "You want to try that?"

He felt her nod.

"Okay, then. Let me grab your pillow and blanket for you…"

He moved over to her bed, grabbing her pillow, blanket, and pilot doll - per Ara's request - before moving towards the door.

"Need anything else?"

She hugged his neck. "No."

He closed the door of her room, trudging down the hall. "You can sleep on your mother's side," he said around a yawn.

Ara yawned, too. "Okay."

Ben fumbled for the lamp switch when they stepped through the door, eventually finding it and flipping it. He squinted at the light that filled the room, faint though it was. He lay Ara down on Rey's side of the bed, tucking her in with both her blanket and the blankets already on the bed.

"Comfortable?"

She nodded, rolling onto her side. Ben smiled, moving back to flip off the lights.

"Can you leave the 'fresher light on?"

He made a face. "I've already snored all the monsters away, Starlight. I promise."

She seemed to think on it. "Only if you're positive, Daddy."

"I am."

He turned the lights off and crawled into bed, rolling so he faced Ara.

"G'night, Daddy."

He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "'Night, Starlight."

She was out within minutes, Ben following close behind.

Both of them made it through the rest of the night without incident.

A/N: Hope you liked it! It just came about when I was talking with a friend about how Ben's nightmares after the war were probably soothed by the presence of loved ones *coughcoughReycough* but this sprang to mind. I'm hoping you found it as adorable as I did.

Thank you for reading! See you next time!