Hello friends and welcome back! I hope you enjoy this semi fluffy break from all the crazy that has been going on. However, I must warn you, this will only be fleeting because things are about to pick up! Anyways, thank you so much for your support and comments they truley mean so much to me :) Oh! if you were ever curious, the songs I listened to while writting this chapter are as follows: We Belong by Old Sea Bridge, Heaven by Julia Michaels, Forever Ago by Woodlock, The Force Theme, and Way Down We Go by Kaleo.

Rey watched skeptically as Ben flipped through the various displays that were projected in front of him, grumbling to himself as he worked through the large array of lit up maps. She decided it would probably be best if she were to keep silent while he was in such a focused state, but she was beginning to get impatient with the wait. She was never very good at following rules to begin with - Master Luke had told her as much before. However, she but her tounge and held still while Ben sorted through whatever he had to sort through. If there was one thing she was good at, it was waiting - and right now she was going to wait until he was ready. There was no point in pushing anything at this point, especially with someone so stuborn and unpredictble as Ben Solo. She didn't even look up at him until he stopped his frantick search, hands stilling by his sides. She took the opportunity to finally speak up,

"Did you find what you were looking for?"

He ran a hand through his silky raven locks like he always did when he was nervous. She felt a strange sense of comfortability in being able to read him for once. His hand that had swept away the stray locks from his face now clenched into a fist next to his side as he frowned and grumbled back

"Not exactly."

She tried not to roll her eyes as he chucked the holochip against the wall and shattered into tiny pieces. He avoided her gaze as she raised a questioning eyebrow at him.

"What was it you were looking for again?"

Ben paced back and forth one more time before he stilled and turned his attention back to her. She was surprised to find no signs of anger in his face, just frustration. Maybe he was learning to control himself. Or maybe his time away from Snoke's influence has allowed him to be more of himself; the self she knew he was deep down under all those thick layers of hurt and betrayal.

Her etes locked onto him as he took a deep breath before crouching down and taking a seat in front of her. The sheer size of him dwarfed the tiny stool he sat on in a rather comical display. She tried not to laugh at the massive man sitting calmy on the tiny stool infront of her as she gave him her full attention. He gave her a look of confusion before he continued

"Snokes location. If we can get him while he still healing, maybe we can end it for good. I thought maybe a well known bounty hunter for the first order would've known, or at least had an idea."

For some reason she was stunned by his revalation. Surely the dark apprentice and former supreme leader would have an idea as to where his former master could have chosen to reside? Let alone where the first order base was. How could he not be aware of such a thing?

"You don't know where he is?"

Ben's seriousness didn't waver as he deadpanned back, "What do you think?"

Rey turned on him before he could get too far inside his head again, "There's got to be someone who knows? Maybe we can try to reach out to him?"

He turned his attention to her, moving to stand in front of her as he explained, "It doesn't work that way. It's not like our bond. It's strictly one sided."

She couldn't just stand still and wait, she had to do something.

"What about me?"

She could already see the disapproving look in Ben's face - something he actually shared with Luke - before he asked, "What about you?"

Her feet carried her back and forth in front of him, his eyes following her every step. She paced back and forth once more before stopping dead in front of him as she tried to convince the dark prince, "What if we used me as bait? Bring me back to the first order, maybe then he'll make an appearance."

Ben's disapproving look only deepened, followed by his arms crossing sternly across his chest. She couldn't help but make the connection between his pout and his mother's, it was unmistakable. He gave her a once over before he responded

"Not a chance. We don't even know what he has planned yet. We can't just go in blind. You're what he wants. Besides, I can't exactly go back now. Not if I don't want to be shot on sight."

Before she could stop herself, the words tumbled out of her mouth, "Then maybe we can contact the resistance. Is there a chance the first order hasn't changed base?"

She regretted it the instant she saw the hurt in his eyes before he walked away from her, avoiding the loaded question as he paced,

"No, they were mobile before I left. There were plans in the making that I wasn't in charge of directing. I should have known sooner."

She decided to give it another go. She had already dug herself a hole with the metion of the resitance. There's no way he could avoid what she was about to ask next

"Then why not get some help from the resistance?"

Somehow he managed, "You and I both know they won't take well to that."

She decided it was probably best if she let it go fro now.

"Well what do we know about Snoke so far? We need to make a list."

She watched his shoulders tense from behind before his deep voice broke through.

"There's one other option."

—

Hux couldn't fight the anger that shifted violently through him as he practically crushed the holochip in his hand. His feet carried him as quickly as he could manage to the chambers that he had set aside for their true supreme leader. As he came to the door, it quickly slid open to reveal the almost completely regenerated man before him. It was miraculous really how quickly he seemed to heal - and to such a level. It was as if he were no longer looking at the same towering creature, but instead a man. He shook his head as he marched into the chambers, waiting patiently for Snoke to raise a hand for him to speak. When he was given the go, he quickly got to the point.

"There has been another spotting of Ren. Apparently he had a tussle with a rather feisty brunette bounty hunter. I think it's safe to assume they're up to something."

Laughter filled the room - a sickening sound really - as the supreme leader shifted to a standing position before the general.

"Not to fear general, Ren will mess up soon enough. I've made sure of it."

The ginger watched as the man moved past him with more ease than he had ever seen before. It was a silent kind of confidence. He could feel his cheeks paint themselves an embarassing shade of peach as he questioned

"What do you mean?"

The towering man turned on him quickly, leaning in close as he gave the general a wicked grin. His grin spread like wildfire across his face as he whispered

"The girl shall be ours soon enough. It's only a matter of time."

—

They had been busy - flipping through holos and documenting everyting they could recall - for hours now. It was well into the middle of the night when Rey finally threw the towl in, her soft voice breaking through to him from across the hard metal table that divided them

"Hey, why don't we take a break. We've been at it all night."

He gave her a short nod, but he continued to read through the remainder of a holo display he had in front of him. He had managed to jot down some key facts before a delicate hand pushed through the display, offering him a steaming cup of what he hoped was Caf. He looked up into Rey's bloodshot hazel eyes as she insisted, "Here."

He turned off the holo and accepted the mug as he gave her a quiet, "Thank you."

The intoxicating aroma filled his senses as he held the steaming cup up to his lips. The bitter taste of the dark liquid giving him the instant buzz he needed to power through more holos. He was halfway through his mug when Rey's pleasant voice broke through his thoughts yet again,

"Ben?"

He looked up at her, noticing how heavy his eyes felt for the first time, despite the buzz of caffeine running through his system. He was sure he looked a mess, judging how Rey looked. Not that she could ever look a mess, but he could see the effects of their all nighter playing on her features, and he was confident he looked even worse. He set the mug down before responding

"Yeah?"

He watched her fiddle with her hands in her lap as if she were nervous about something. Had she found something? Maybe something about him that she was too nervous to bring up for fear of how he might react. After all, he wasn't known for having a calm personality. He tried to make himself seem relaxed and open so she could find the courage to ask what she really wanted to know. He could see a slight pink tinge to her face as she whispered ever so softly

"I'm sorry."

He was caught completely off gaurd, he almost choked on his Caf for a moment. So that's what was making her so nervous? He forced himself to look into her eyes as he asked,

"For what?"

He watched her shift in her seat, clearly uncomfortable under his intense gaze as she managed, "I never meant to leave you like that. I-I just didn't know what else to do."

Now it was his turn to shift in his seat as the sound of her gentle voice along with her revelation evoked a strange emotion in him. A emotion he hopped he had been able to set aside. An emotion that reminded him all too much of that time three years ago. That time when he had fist met the feisty brunette on Takodona. The girl who had caused such an uproar. He let his gaze fall from hers as he responded softly,

"It's okay."

He was filled with an overwelming sense of longing. A longing that had been buried deep within him. The longing to get to know Rey, to be a person she could count on. Sure he knew things many probably were unaware of, but he had a strange need to know her on the most intimate of levels. To unravel that which made her the woman she had become. She was remarkable. He only craved more. He found himself questioning,

"Tell me something?"

She looked back at him in bewilderment. He lips slightly parted as she questioned,

"What?"

His spur of the moment confidence quickly vanished as he looked back into the confused, and slightly uncomfortable, face of the woman before him. However, his desire to know more outweighed his uncertainty because he quickly found himself asking,

"What was it like growing up on Jakku. I mean it was obviously horrible, given everything, but there's got to be something good you remember?"

He saw her struggle within herself for a moment, as if she were debating opening up to him before she began,

"Sometimes at night I would crawl on top of my home, an old leg of an AT-AT, and just lay there under the stars. There was something so peaceful knowing that somewhere there was someone looking up and seeing the same sky I was. It made me feel less... alone."

He could just picture the young version of Rey climbing the broken down machine and gazing peacefully at the stars. It gave him joy to be able to revel in the moment, the memory she had shared. He was beginning to get lost in the tranquility of it until Rey spoke again

"What about you?"

He looked at her in horror as he responded, "Me?"

He watched as she nodded slowly at him, a devious curve to her lips as she explained

"I shared something, now it's your turn. What's something you used to like growing up?"

He grimaced and shifted so he didn't have to face her. She picked up on his silence and was beginning to grow frustrated with his silence.

"Come on there's got to be something!"

He raised his hands in mock surrender before turning to face her again. Her hazel eyes large in excitement for some insight into the life of baby Ben Solo. Admittedly, he was a little irritated with the fact that she was so excited, but he moved past it.

"Okay okay. When I was little, I used to sneak into the cockpit of the Falcon when everyone was asleep and pretend like I was flying. It never lasted long, because someone always found me, but for that brief moment I felt free. There were no expectations, no disapproving glares, no hidden conversations. It was just me, and the stars."

He could feel his chest heave as he finished his confession. Some part of him felt relief, but another part felt stripped and raw. He always found it hard to share the good times he had with his family, the times when he wasn't in trouble or the topic of closed door discussions that his parents thought he couldn't hear. Part of him aches for this chance to be so open with someone, to share his torrent of emotions bubbling behind the surface, but he couldn't bare to look into Rey's eyes that were filled with such emotion as she whispered,

"Ben."

He felt a gentle hand placed in his arm, but he quickly stood, letting the hand fall. He made a move for the door, refusing to look at Rey as he mumbled and pointed to the hatch leading to the cold night.

"I'm sorry, I need to- yeah."

—-

She had given him time. After opening up to her, he needed time. She knew that he was not an open book, that he needed trust and that trust had to be earned. Part of her felt comfort in the fact that he had been willing to divulge a very personal memory with her, but he also needed time. It would take more than a nice conversation to get Ben Solo to trust again, but this conversation gave her more than she hoped. It gave her insight into the man behind the mask. It gave her hope that he was someone worth fighting for, and fight she would. That's why hours later she emerged into the cool night air with a warm blanket for the man she once thought of as a monster.

She watched carefully as he sat on the ground, his head bent over as his chest expanded with slow inhales followed by even slower exhales. His head snapped in her direction as she edged closer. He glanced at her briefly before he stood. She held the blanket to him,

"Here."

He grasped it, whispering "Thanks" before wrapping it around himself. She could see the far off look in his eyes, the stains under his eyes that he tried to hide from her viewing. It wasn't until he spoke that she realized she was staring,

"I meant what I said three years ago."

She shook her head for a moment, taken aback by his shift in mood. He seemed more at ease. Either that, or he just wanted to avoid mention of his family for the time being. She rose an eyebrow as she responded

"And what would that be?"

He edged closer towards her, eyes piercing into her as he spoke,

"You're not alone."

She found it difficult to breath, especially when he was standing so close. She could feel the intensity of his gaze, the intoxicating way he dipped his head to the side so he could get a better view of her. He heart fired rapidly in her chest as he stomach tightened. If he were anyone else, she would have thought he'd kiss her. She took in a deep breath as she managed to whisper back,

"Neither are you."

The slight curve to his lips just about did her in. How may times had Kylo Ren smiled? Except this wasn't Kylo Ren anymore, this was Ben Solo. She gave him a soft smile back before breaking eye contact and shifting her gaze up.

"Look up."

She could her his confusion as he asked, "What?"

She let a bright smile stay in her lips as she responded,

"Look up, the stars are beautiful!"

She had an odd feeling he was still looking at her as he replied in a gentle whisper,

"Yeah, they are."

She finally brought her gaze back to him as she cheered with excitement,

"Have you ever seen something so wonderful? I've never seen stars so bright!"

She watched him as he looked up at the stars as he spoke,

"If you think this is special, you should see the skies of Endor. You would love it. I know my mother always did."

She knew it was a reach, but she couldn't stop the words from tumbling out of her mouth, not when he looked like this. Not when he looked like a dark price with a halo of stars surrounding him

"Will you take me sometime?"

She watched him shift uncomfortably as he began, "I don't think that-"

But when he looked on her again, he couldn't help but reply,

"Sure Rey."

—

She watched from the coverage of the trees as the pair moved around each other. Their proximity closer than she expected, but that would only make things easier for her. Ducking slightly, Ava spoke into her portable comm in a professional tone

"Sir, I have located them."

The high and poshly accented voice echoed back to her through the small device,

"Follow instructions as planned. They need to trust you if our plan is going to work."

She let her eyes wonder back to the couple as the tall dark haired knight gazed cheerfully at the petite brunette beside him. She hesitated as she questioned, "Are you sure about this sir."

The voice grew irritated as he practically chastised, "The supreme leader has made it very clear what is to be done. I think you know what is at stake if you do not complete this mission. Am I clear?"

She dropped the device in her had firmly, her focus set on the couple as she replied

"Yes sir."