"Wise men say only fools rush in, but I can't help falling in love with you. Shall I stay? Would it be a sin If I can't help falling in love with you?

Like a river flows surely to the sea, Darling, so it goes. Some things are meant to be. Take my hand, take my whole life too, for I can't help falling in love with you."

~ Elvis Presley, "Can't Help Falling in Love" (words and music by George Weiss, Hugo Peretti, and Luigi Creatore)

~.~.~.~

Chapter 9: Only Fools Rush In

Rey's POV

"Goodnight, Obi-Wan."

The front door suddenly opened, startling us, as Ben and I walked up the steps leading to the house. A middle-aged woman with short, blonde hair stepped out onto the porch, stopping dead in her tracks when she saw us.

"Larma?" Ben questioned, his face twisted in confusion.

"Ben," she warily said his name, looking back at Obi-Wan, who had curiously popped his head out the door.

Obi-Wan stared wide-eyed at the woman named Larma, almost as if he were a small child caught with his hand in the cookie jar, and leaned against the door frame, crossing his arms over his chest.

"What are you doing here?" Ben continued, glancing down at our hands wound together and then at my face. I furrowed my eyebrows at him, and tried to read his puzzled expression.

"Well, um… just brought Obi-Wan some dinner and we got to talking. Isn't that right, Obi-Wan?" Larma answered, eyeing my grandfather, who looked suddenly embarrassed.

"Uh, right." Obi-Wan tightened his arms around his chest, and I noticed his gray hair appeared somewhat disheveled. Even a few of the buttons on his red flannel shirt were fastened into the wrong holes. My jaw almost dropped to the floor.

Obi-Wan cleared his throat. "Larma was just leaving, Rey."

"Is this the famous Rey?" Larma happily grinned, turning to me. I nodded and forced a befuddled grin. "Oh, Obi-Wan, she's gorgeous! I think she may take after your side of the family."

She peered over her shoulder at Obi-Wan, who worriedly licked his lips and sighed in response. It was his usual nervous tick.

"Rey, this is Larma D'Acy, an old friend of mine," Ben introduced her, obviously trying to ease the awkwardness of the situation.

Larma reached out her right hand, and I let go of Ben's hand to shake hers.

"Thanks for the compliment. It's nice to meet you." I smiled from ear to ear, stealing a peek at my grandfather, as everything began to click into place. Obi-Wan wasn't the only one who had found love recently. Maybe that's why he'd been a little chipper than usual when I came home from school last Friday. I couldn't be happier for my grandfather; he had been a bachelor for as long as I could remember.

"Likewise, Rey. Obi-Wan won't shut up about you half the time," Larma said as her blue eyes focused now on Ben's left hand, which immediately wrapped around my right. "So I guess I'm not the only one who's been slumming it in Jakku lately, huh, Ben?"

I sensed humor in her tone.

"Larma, please!" Obi-Wan's discomfited voice tried to silence her.

"I'm only kidding, Obi-Wan. Ben knows that." The woman who had won my grandfather's affections sighed, pulling the sides of her fleece jacket closer together and repositioning the crimson scarf around her neck. "Well, I better head back to Chandrila. Mara's bringing her husband and the grandkids up from North Carolina for Han's cookout Friday night. They should be getting in early tomorrow morning."

"Mara's coming?" Ben asked, almost angrily, squeezing my hand in a death grip. I wondered for a brief moment why he was using that tone with her.

"Just for a few nights, Ben. I haven't seen the grandkids since Gial's um… passing a year ago." Larma appeared saddened all of a sudden, and I gathered from her statement that Gial must have been her deceased husband. She quickly composed herself. "Well, goodnight, boys."

"Goodnight," Ben and Obi-Wan said at the same time, and then glanced at each other, astounded.

"It was great meeting you, Rey." Suppressing a giggle, Larma waved and headed down the steps to her waiting car.

I turned and gave my grandfather a knowing look with a slight smirk on my face. He held up his arms in surrender.

"Not one word, Rey," Obi-Wan said, rolling his eyes, and then asked Ben, "Just dropping my granddaughter off?"

Ben squeezed my hand once more and nodded, reminding me of our initial purpose for being there together.

"Well, Obi-Wan, there's something we would like to discuss with you," I spoke up, grasping Ben's hand tighter for added strength.

"No, no, no." Obi-Wan vehemently shook his head and raked his hands through his silvery hair. "You two are NOT running away and getting mar-"

"Uh, Obi-Wan," Ben laughingly interjected. "While I like your granddaughter and all, I don't think we're quite ready to take that step yet. I'm afraid what we need to discuss is a little more serious than that."

Obi-Wan's expression suddenly hardened. "Well, come on in… uh, Ben." He cleared his throat. "I'm all ears."

"Thanks, Obi-Wan," Ben said, escorting me across the threshold and into the house.

The three of us went into the living room, and I could feel the surge of apprehensiveness swelling in my mind and in the pit of my stomach. Ben and I took a seat on the forest green couch, and Obi-Wan sat across from us in his leather recliner.

"Jeez, you two look as if someone died," Obi-Wan half-joked, folding his palms together and resting his elbows on his knees.

Ben and I glanced at each other solemnly, and I shifted my body nervously atop the cushion.

"Well, Obi-Wan… someone did," I said, hearing Ben loudly gulp, and felt his hand tremble as it held mine.

"What do you mean?" Obi-Wan's eyes grew wide, shifting his gaze to Ben. "Not Han."

"No, my dad's fine, Obi-Wan." Ben paused and took a deep breath, glancing at me for reassurance. I nodded, biting my lower lip, and tried to keep myself from completely losing my mind as well. "Well, when I took Rey out for ice cream Monday night, it was raining, so I had her stay in the car..."

"Yeah?" Obi-Wan anxiously questioned when Ben was quiet for a few seconds.

"A man attacked her while I was inside," Ben revealed, running his shaky thumb back and forth over mine.

The memory of Hux's passionate face came charging back to me in that moment, and I could almost feel the impression of his rough hands constricting about my wrists. I shuddered at the sensation, closing my eyelids tightly, as if to purge the memory from my brain.

"Rey, why didn't you tell me?" Obi-Wan's question made me open my eyes. Shock immediately flooded his face.

"She didn't tell you, Obi-Wan," Ben spat out, grinding his teeth together, "because I begged her not to."

"Ben, why would you do something like that? I could've gone after that bastard and had him locked up for good," Obi-Wan frustratingly bellowed, coming onto his feet. His hands curled into fists, and he looked as if he were ready to pounce my boyfriend for not telling him about the attack.

"Because I-I… killed him, Obi-Wan." Ben let go of my hand and placed his head between his knees, gasping for breath. I immediately put my arms around him for comfort, but he suddenly jerked away, raising his head to look at my grandfather. "I beat the shit of out him for what he was going to do to Rey, and now he's dead!"

"Holy shit..." Obi-Wan swore under his breath, rubbing his jaw with his fingers.

"I didn't mean to do it, Obi-Wan," Ben pleaded, clasping his hands fiercely together. I could see the veins angrily pulsating beneath his skin of his forearms. "Something just snapped, and I couldn't force myself to stop."

"Uh..." Obi-Wan blinked his eyes in disbelief as if he were trying to mask his emotions, and then went completely into cop mode. "Where's the body?"

"We dumped it in the river in Chandrila," I timidly admitted when Ben didn't answer.

"You helped him, Rey?" Disappointment flashed across Obi-Wan's face as the question sent daggers into my heart.

"Obi-Wan, I'm sor-" I shamefully started to say, looking down at the carpeted floor, but Ben irately cut me off.

"Don't blame her, Obi-Wan." Ben came to a standing position in front of my grandfather, and readily pressed his forearms together, his hands held upward. "If you want to place the blame on anyone, it's me. I'm the one who killed Hux, and I should be the one who is punished for it."

"Hux?" Obi-Wan asked, utterly dumbfounded. He stole a quick glance at me, and then turned his attention back to Ben. "You knew who he was?"

"Yes. The man I… killed was… Armitage Hux," Ben disclosed, holding his head down, as if trying to avoid my grandfather's reaction.

"That's not funny, Ben," Obi-Wan uneasily huffed. I knew the very mention of the man who allegedly killed my parents would madden him. "Armitage Hux has been dead and buried for four years!"

"You're wrong," Ben countered, lifting his head to look into Obi-Wan's eyes. "We checked his wallet. It was him."

"It can't be..." Obi-Wan sat back down on his recliner and ran his hands down the slopes of his cheeks, gathering them at his mouth. "I saw the son of a bitch's body with my own eyes… it was crushed beyond recognition, but we were able to match up his dental records."

"I know that, Obi-Wan, but this guy had a picture of Rey in his wallet." Ben reached down and grabbed my hand again. I stood up and melted into Ben's embrace as his arms wrapped around me. "Why would he have a picture of her if he wasn't involved in the accident somehow?"

"He had a picture of Rey? Shit." Obi-Wan pressed his palms to his forehead and massaged his temples. It hurt me deeply to see my grandfather this way. I knew his heart was breaking, having to recall the images of the night my parents died and the murderer who was responsible.

"We think he faked his own death and came back to murder Qi'ra and Dryden's only daughter." Ben desperately kissed the top of my head, shutting his eyelids securely together. "I was not going to let that happen."

"Why would he do that, Ben?" Obi-Wan confusedly inquired, rising up from the recliner to meet us. "Why would he want to kill Rey?"

"We don't know, Obi-Wan," I told my grandfather, giving him an optimistic expression. "We were hoping you could help us figure this all out."

"I'm just stunned at all of this," Obi-Wan answered, stroking the back of his neck. I had never seen my grandfather so panicked. "Are you telling me everything? You're not leaving anything out, are you?"

"Well… the board I used to hit Hux with… someone found it and put it in Rey's Jeep tonight as some sort of sick joke." Ben gulped. "Someone knows what happened. Someone witnessed it, and is out to scare us to death."

"I was afraid you were going to say something to that effect." Obi-Wan looked back at my boyfriend, putting his hands on his hips. "Where is it now?"

"I destroyed it," Ben admitted, glancing down at his feet.

"What?" Obi-Wan seemed to be getting more frustrated by the minute. I could already make out the fiery glint in his eyes. "You shouldn't have done that, Ben."

"I'm sorry, Obi-Wan. I know it could've had contained evidence to finding out who was behind all of this mess. I regret it now."

"I'll say," Obi-Wan agreed, and then he was quiet for several excruciatingly-long seconds. He seemed to have drifted into a daze from everything we had told him.

"Ben?"

"Yes, Obi-Wan," Ben replied, his expression uncertain.

"Thank you," Obi-Wan simply said, his eyes softening.

"For what?"

"For protecting my granddaughter." Obi-Wan became choked up with emotion, a hint of tears glistening now in his eyes. "I don't think I could have handled losing Rey too."

"Of course," Ben responded with a nod, pulling me tighter against his chest.

The two men I cared about more than my own life stood in the living room in silence. I sent out an unspoken prayer, thanking my lucky stars that Obi-Wan didn't completely flip out and haul us down to the station right then and there. I wasn't sure why I ever doubted him.

"Where's your car?" Obi-Wan suddenly asked Ben, making me jump.

"At my house. Why?" Ben let me go, but clung to my hand as if he instinctively knew I needed that connection to him to stay strong.

"We need to get rid of it," Obi-Wan firmly said.

"Why do we have to do that, Obi-Wan?" I interjected.

"Because I'm assuming Hux's dead body didn't just get up and walk all the way from the ice cream shop to the river." Obi-Wan's eyes focused on me, and then averted to Ben. "We can't risk his body washing ashore with fibers from the car's upholstery on his clothes. It's too easy to trace back to you."

"But everyone in Chandrila knows I drive an Impala. They could easily rat me out to the cops if they wanted to." Ben's face filled with worry.

"With just a few calls, I can make sure there's no trace of you ever owning one," Obi-Wan said confidently. "There'll be no record to support their statements."

"Thank you, Obi-Wan." Ben's shoulders relaxed in ultimate relief.

I broke free from Ben's grasp and hugged my grandfather around the neck to show my appreciation. I could feel his unconditional love for me radiating off every fiber of his skin.

"I also know a place down in Ahch-To," Obi-Wan continued, holding me close as if he might never let me go. "An auto salvage place. The owner was a friend of mine when I trained for the force many years ago. We'll drive down there tomorrow morning and have the Impala destroyed."

~.~

"Rey, you still awake?" I heard Ben's voice in a low, velvety whisper as I lay awake in my bed, staring mindlessly up at the ceiling.

"Yes, everything okay?" I rolled myself underneath the covers so that I was facing the open bedroom door.

Ben's large form stood in the doorway. The soft light from the hallway trickled into the room, illuminating his beautiful face. His round biceps bulged from beneath the black fabric of his shirt, and I had to remember to breathe as I took in the sight before me.

"Yeah, Obi-Wan sent a couple of squad cars over to my dad's house," Ben said, coming into the room and carefully shutting the door. "They'll make sure nothing happens to him while I'm here."

"Ben, you shouldn't worry about me so much." I brushed the hair back from my face and sat up in the bed, gathering the covers around my waist. "You should've stayed with your dad."

"I couldn't leave you, Rey," he opposed, sitting down on the bed beside me. He reached out and took my left hand in his. "I would've been worried out of my mind. Obi-Wan and I both suspect that whoever it is out there wants you and nothing else. I'll do everything in my power to protect you."

I sighed, feeling the warmth of Ben's hand in mine. He always knew just the right words to say to calm me. While I was concerned about his father all alone in his house, it eased my mind to know that someone was keeping watch over him. I also was equally thankful that Ben was here with me. I didn't know how I would have survived the night not knowing if he were safe.

"Where's Obi-Wan?" I peered up at Ben's face, intertwining my fingers with his.

"Downstairs." Ben laughed, and a mischievous grin played across his pink lips. "He's taken up post on the couch with his shotgun. He wanted me to stay up here with you tonight for extra protection."

"Really? He willingly agreed to let you stay in my room with me tonight?" I asked in disbelief, returning his smile.

"I don't think he's too worried about us sleeping in the same room together, Rey," he replied, pushing himself off the bed. "Not when there's a possible threat on your life."

"Right," I concurred, watching Ben take the quilt from the foot of my bed and spread it out on the rug beside the nightstand. "What are you doing?"

"Making the floor a little more comfortable." Ben adjusted the quilt on the floor, and then reached across me to grab one of the pillows off my bed.

"Do you really think I'm going to let you sleep on the floor when there's plenty of room beside me here?" I temptingly patted the empty space beside me on the bed.

"Rey," Ben said, kneeling beside the bed, and placing his hands on the mattress in front of me. "Obi-Wan already suspects that we've slept together. I don't want to give him any further encouragement in his suspicions. I also don't want him to go back on his word to help us out of our situation. He could easily turn me in, and I could go to jail. Do you want that?"

"No," I murmured, thoroughly disappointed, but I knew he was right yet again.

"Good." Ben leaned in and kissed my forehead before pulling back to untie his boots.

Huffing, I laid back against the soft comfort of my bed, and soon heard Ben position himself beside me on the floor.

"Ben?" I asked after several minutes of listening to his steady breaths.

"Yeah, Rey." The rugged tone of his voice pierced the quiet tranquility of the room.

"What you said in the Jeep before we came in..." I didn't finish my sentence. Instead, I fearfully chewed on my bottom lip.

"You mean when I said I would do anything to be with you," Ben read my mind like an open book. I heard him shifting on the floor, possibly rolling over on one side.

"Yes," I answered, and rolled over in the direction of his voice. I placed my right arm under the pillow and clutched it closer to my head. "Did you mean it, or was it said out of fear that you might not ever see me again?"

"I meant every word." Ben sighed. "I want to be with you, Rey. Only you."

"I want you too." A small tear escaped my eye and ran down my cheek, absorbing into the pillowcase below. "It's just… this happened all so suddenly. I'm afraid that what I'm feeling may just be because of the situation we're in… you know, with Hux and all."

"You're having second thoughts..." Ben's voice wavered as he spoke almost as if he were upset.

"Maybe I am," I confessed timorously, feeling more moisture seep from the corners of my hazel eyes. "I don't know."

"Rey." Ben came onto his knees beside the bed, looking into my eyes. He took my left hand and pressed it to his chest just above his heart. "Do you feel that?"

I closed my eyes, revelling at the even, unbroken rhythm of his heart. Its music was soothing and calming like a lullaby. I could have easily drifted off to sleep listening to its hypnotic beat.

"My heart races every time I'm near you, Rey. When I touch you, when I brush my lips against yours, when I hold you in my arms." Ben's brown eyes gleamed in the faint streak of moonlight that filtered into the room. "Hell, it even aches when you're not next to me. You're a part of me now, Rey. I'll never be whole again without you."

"Ben, I don't know what to say." I was at a complete loss for words. The warmth of his skin against my hand was exhilarating.

"Do you love me, Rey?" Ben shamelessly asked, my hand still pressed to his heart. "Can you just lay there and deny what's happening between us? Don't be afraid. I feel it too."

"I am afraid, Ben." I looked away in disgrace. If I wholeheartedly gave my love to him, I could possibly get hurt further down the road. Our age difference began to worry me, too. He was so much older than I was. Who knew what I would feel when I turned thirty or even forty? Would my feelings for him still be the same?

"Of what?" His forefinger lifted my chin.

"Of everything," I honestly told him.

"Rey, if you're worried that I'm gonna to leave you, you're wrong. I'll never leave you. We met for a reason last Saturday night. I know it sounds completely crazy, given we've only known each other for a few days, but I want you, baby - all of you, for as long as you want me."

As I gazed into his deep brown eyes, I knew every word from his mouth exuded truth. And I knew was that I wanted him as well.

"I love you," Ben said softly, cupping my face in his hands. He pulled my head toward his and placed a small kiss to my lips.

As he pulled back, I whispered, my eyes closed, "I love you, too."

I opened my eyes only to see Ben's grin stretch across the breadth of his face. He leaned in for another kiss, officially sealing our love for each other. His plump lips tasted warm and delicious, but my body craved more in that moment. Ben had just said that he wanted all of me, and I greedily, shamefully wanted all of him.

I gripped the back of his head, holding his lips firmly to mine as I devoured them. I came onto my knees, using one of my hands to maneuver the sheets out from under them.

Moving with me, Ben stood beside my bed, his lips still hungrily sampling mine. I ran my hands up his well-toned arms and traced the lines of the black tattoo on his right shoulder underneath his sleeve, slowly reaching my destination around his neck.

Ben clutched me tightly around my waist, pressing his raging erection against my pelvis. He lustfully bit my bottom lip when I automatically began to grind against him.

"Rey, we can't do this… not with Obi-Wan downstairs," Ben panted into my ear after breaking away from my lips. His forehead fell to my shoulder in frustration. I knew he was right, but I also knew I couldn't fight back my ever-growing need for him. It was too difficult to control.

I lifted his head with a hand under each ear, forcing him to look into my eyes.

"Ben, I want to make love to you. Please," I whispered just millimeters from his lips. "I'll be very quiet, I promise."

"Oh, I'm not worried about you being quiet," he said with a tiny smirk. "It's me I'm worried about."

I left out a subdued chuckle, and seductively bit my bottom lip. He had told me earlier that he found the action sexy.

"Oh… damn it all to hell." Ben forcefully pulled my head toward him and molded his lips to mine.

I smiled against his lips, secretly rejoicing that he had given into me so easily.

Pushing him down on the bed, I straddled his waist and ran my hands up the cotton fabric of his t-shirt. Ben sat up briefly and helped me remove it from his body. He then lay his head back down against the pillows, placing his hands underneath my teddy, and clasping them to my bottom.

"You're not wearing any panties," Ben said breathlessly, his eyes wide with shock.

"Nope, I'm not." I shook my head at him, blushing, and coyly placed the forefinger of my right hand in my mouth. "Remember, you destroyed them earlier."

"Well, fuck me."

"Gladly." I giggled, sneaking my palms up his abdominals, memorizing every curve of each muscle as I went.

Leaning forward, I jutted out my tongue and ravenously traced the grooves between his abs. His skin tasted like hot, melted caramel beneath my tongue, and I greedily relished in the glorious flavor that was Ben Solo.

Using my tongue as my guide, I unhurriedly ascended to his nipples and sucked hard on the left one.

"Shit," Ben murmured, and I could feel the vibrations of the word against my mouth.

I raised my head and gave my love an amorous grin.

Ben's lips parted as he whisperingly begged, "Please, Rey."

I instantly returned my lips to his chest, tracing a line down the middle of his pectorals all the way to his bellybutton. I felt Ben suck in a breath as my lips reached the top of his jeans. My fingers soon found the button and zipper, slowly releasing him from his pants and boxer briefs. His beautiful erection lay out before me, and I cravingly licked my lips at the sight, my mouth beginning to water.

Grasping him in my hands, I lowered my head and gently kissed the tip of his dick.

"Oh, yes," Ben moaned as I glided my tongue down his length and back up again. "Suck it, Rey. Please."

Without hesitating, I encased my mouth around him and began to suck roughly.

"Fuck." Ben fastened his hands around my head, guiding himself toward the back of my throat.

I relaxed my throat and let him do the work, while still using my tongue to intensify his pleasure.

Suddenly, Ben stopped his frantic movements, grabbing onto my shoulders.

"I need to be inside you now."

Smiling, I let him drop from my mouth and demurely replied, "Yes, sir."

I then climbed on top of him, placing my bent knees on either side of his waist. Ben powerfully fisted the bottom of my teddy, and I raised my arms as he tugged it over my head. He tossed it heftily into the darkness of the room.

"You're so beautiful, Rey." He ran his calloused right palm down the valley between my bare breasts. My breath hitched in my throat as his fingers descended and grazed the place that achingly hungered for him. "You take my breath away. I can't believe you're all mine."

"I can't believe you're mine," I said, leaning forward to press my lips to his. "Now, relax and let me make love to you."

Ben didn't say another word as I supported myself with one arm and reached between my legs with the other, placing him at my wet entrance. I slowly lowered myself down on him, allowing him to completely fill me body and soul.

Grabbing onto my hips, Ben pushed upward as I gradually started to rock back and forth on top of him.

Soon, we set an unhurried pace, and Ben's strong hands continued to guide my gentle thrusts against him.

The feeling of Ben inside me could not be rendered into words, except for one: love. I could feel his love for me with every movement, every touch, as we connected in the most intimate way possible.

I rocked forward slightly, massaging my clit, as I thrust myself against him. Realizing what I was doing, I began to feel empowered by the way our bodies were positioned, and not to mention, incredibly sexy.

"Come for me, baby," Ben groaned, closing his eyes. "Come."

I increased my pace, stroking myself, faster and harder. I watched with devilish delight as Ben's expression contorted in pleasure with my frantic movements, his eyes still closed. I could tell he wouldn't last much longer.

Feeling my orgasm surmount, I firmly shut my eyes and concentrated on bringing myself to release.

"Open your eyes, Rey," Ben swept the hair back from my face and tucked several strands behind my ears. My eyes fluttered open. "I want to look into your eyes when you come."

I braced my right hand on his chest, staring fixedly into his gorgeous brown eyes as I rapidly rubbed myself against him. I wanted to stare into those eyes forever.

"B-" I cried out, my release beginning to climax, but before I could scream the rest of his name, I felt a ferocious hand cup over my mouth.

Silently thanking him for his quick thinking, I rode him harder, the surges of my orgasm careening over me in tidal waves. I clenched my teeth around one of his fingers to keep from crying out into his hand again.

Ben's body then buckled beneath me, and I felt him release inside me as the last few waves of my orgasm receded. He groaned loudly, and I leaned down, silencing him with my lips. My gaze never deflected from his once.

With one final thrust, Ben fixed his palms around my cheeks and kissed me fervently. I felt it all the way to my knees.

"I love you," he said, pulling away. I crumpled on top of him, laying my head against his chest.

Our uneven breaths soon became the only sounds that permeated the room, and then, Ben heartily laughed.

"What's so funny?" I asked, raising my head from his chest.

"I just realized that we're going to have to face Obi-Wan in the morning," Ben answered, grinning widely.

I nervously bit one of my nails. "Oh, God, do you think he heard us?"

Not even a second after the last word crossed my lips, we both jumped as the echo of what resembled a gunshot resounded from somewhere downstairs.

Attn: As promised, I gave you a little smut action in this chapter. What do you think of Obi-Wan's reaction? What do you think happened to Obi-Wan downstairs? I would love to know your thoughts. ;) Thanks for reading!