Star Wars: A Bond Awakens

Chapter Nine: Home Again

She walked into his room. It was similar to her own, but the bed sheets were on the floor in a wrinkled mess, books were open with pages torn, and there was a dresser that had been tipped over with some of the drawers now cracked.

"What do you want?" he asked neither angrily or happily.

"In general or right now specifically? Either way, the answer is fairly similar."

"Go on then," he demanded. He was gentle, but there was a hint of brutality in his voice.

"I want you, silly," she said without looking at him. She began picking up the books, stacking them in her arms, searching a place to put them.

Ben walked over, took all the books in one arm, lifted the fallen dresser back into place with his free hand and set them on top. Ora looked at him, willing him to feel what love she still had left for him. Not that any of it had left, but there was anger and sadness in her that was wanting to suppress the goodness she felt for him.

He was no longer wearing the black Knights of Ren getup anymore. He wore a normal shirt with a normal jacket and normal pants and normal boots. He finally looked like Ben again. It was beyond words how happy it made her in that moment.

As she began to speak, he tied up the room. "Why haven't you spoken to me through the Force all these years, Ben?" He flinched at his birth name.

Tidying up the place was just as much for her sake as it was a distraction for his. He didn't have to look her in the eyes then. "You were a distraction to my becoming."

"Your undoing," she corrected.

His jaw clenched, unsure what to say. He was now on his knees, gathering up the rest of the clothing and books on the floor. She set herself down on the floor, putting a hand on his back.

"Ben, there is nothing I want more in the entire galaxy than to see you reunited with your mother and with me. I want you there when the baby is born and I want you to raise him for the good, not the bad. I know so much as happened and you've been manipulated so thoroughly, but none of that matters. We just want you home, Ben." She rested her forehead on his. "Just please come home."

He placed a hand on her cheek, stroking gently. "I am home. With you."

She wrapped her arms around his neck.

xxx

It has been over seven weeks, and she barely saw Ben at all. He kept himself locked up in his quarters with his thoughts. At first, she tried talking to him but he would just gently tell her he wished to be alone. Ora left Ben to his thoughts reluctantly now while she went into the kitchen to help Maz with her concoction. She appeared to be making dinner, but it looked more like muddy sludge than anything else. Of course, Ora wouldn't dare say so; not with all the wonderful things Maz has done to help Ben and her out.

"What do you call this?" Ora asked.

"My masterpiece!" she said, licking the spoon. She hummed a sound that showed just how much she loved the taste. "Oh, don't fret, child. I won't make you eat this. There is something more suitable in the cold box over there."

Ora searched, picking up a container of soup. She sat down to eat with Maz who had a bowl bigger than her own head of her 'masterpiece'.

They ate in silence other than a little bit of small talk. When she was done with her soup, she took out another container of it and walked to the second door on the right down the corridor of the ship. She knocked gently. "Ben?" No answer. "My love, I've brought you lunch."

Still no answer.

She opened the door slowly, looking around the room. It wasn't in shambles as she had expected. Instead, she saw a few dents and dips in the metal wall. She turned back to the bed seeing him fast asleep. She knelt beside him, placing the container on his nightstand. Ora looked at his large, uncovered sleeping frame. Glancing at his hands, she saw how bloody and cut up they were.

Immediately, she stood up and found a first aid kit, taking out bandages and vaseline. She knelt below him again, and when she took his hand, he awoke with a jerk.

"What are you doing?" he asked, sitting up.

"You've made a mess of yourself. I'm bandaging you up."

He wasn't a very subtle person. She noticed how he would always glance down at her abdomen in what she understood as loving curiosity. Maybe even anticipation. Maker knows she was anxious.

"You've made yourself scarce for many weeks now," she said, rubbing vaseline on the cuts. She began wrapping them tightly. Only a small bit of blood was seeping through. "Are you punishing yourself?"

He didn't answer her. He only looked at her with those pain-filled eyes.

"I hate when you look like that, Ben. Stop torturing yourself. You've done enough of that these past eleven years. Maker knows Snoke did so much worse to you than you could ever do to yourself. Now, come on. You should see something that's outside this room. Hopefully Maz won't notice the damage done to her ship." She gave him a coy smile, trying to lighten the mood. There was a tiny twitch of the corners of his mouth.

She felt giddy again.

Ora took his hand and they walked out of his room. "Maz said we will be landing on Coruscant today. We need to get a few things. Maybe we can go off on our own and explore, like we did at the temple."

She looked up at him, waiting for a reply.

He gave her a crooked smile, a smile that was all too familiar and made her think of Han. "I would love that."

xxx

They walked the streets of the big city, hand in hand. Ora was telling him about how crazy it was on the freighter she spent most of her life on when Han decided to haul rathtars on the ship.

"-I had heard so many stories about the Falcon and when I finally saw it... Ben, the Falcon was amazing! It was like just physically seeing it right before you brought all the stories Han told to life. But the Falcon became one of my stories that day just like Han told all those stories about it when he was with Leia and look fighting the Empire. We boarded it, finding Finn and Rey down below trying to poison us! Can you believe it? They were ready to poison us." Ora laughed and when she did, Ben laughed with her. "Well, anyway, the Death Gang tried to attack us, but Rey accidently opened the doors and let the rathtars loose! It was insane! I mean, I had quite the adventures with Han and Chewy, but when Rey arrived... She changed all our lives completely without her knowing. That was when Han was right back to fighting the rebels' war again. And that was when I found a sister. Or someone I would like to think of as such."

"She has an extraordinary amount of power," Ben remarked.

"If she managed to scar you like that, I don't doubt she does."

Ben sneered.

"Oh, calm down. I was only messing with you."

The tall buildings were beautiful in the night sky. There were hover cars driving miles upon miles high. The traffic was crazy, but amazing to look at all the models and designs. The lights in every room of the buildings gave a glowing look to the entire city. There was so much life here. She had been so cooped up in a single ship, she had missed the presence of others.

"Can you believe this is the place where your grandparents fell in love?"

Ben turned to look at her with curiosity. "How do you know?"

"A mash up of what Han, Luke, Leia and the Force as revealed to me. Padme was fourteen when she met Anakin. She was of age to marry and rule Naboo, yet he was no more than a child. Only nine!"

Ben laughed. "Maz says something like that about you and I's mental state."

Ora smiled. "Yes, she has said how child-like you are in your temper. But you are still amazing all the same." Ben shook his head, but Ora continued. "Apparently, he had a temper just like you do. He and Obi-Wan Kenobi were asked to protect her after someone tried killing her. He fell in love with her, but the Jedi Council was against Jedi's having relationships. If that were true...You wouldn't be here. That's why I'm grateful for Padme and Anakin. They gave you Leia and Han, and Han and Leia gave me you."

He wrapped an arm around her, planting a kiss atop her head.

"What else do you know?" he asked.

She thought hard. There wasn't much else. "I know your parents irritated one another to no end before they were married and had you. She was a fiery soul, I've been told. Always pushing Han away, yet trying to keep him close. Han was always so cocky about how Leia just couldn't stay away from him." They both laughed at the thought.

For the first time in quite some time, Ben felt relaxed. He wasn't worrying about finishing missions that Snoke gave or having to be ordered around and challenged by Hux. He could be free of them, of the rules and requirements and just be whoever and whatever he wanted to be with Ora. He frowned to himself, wondering how he could have ever given her up for something so full of misery and destruction.

Ora?

"Rey," she whispered to herself.

I'm with THE Luke Skywalker. He's training me. Can you believe it? Where have you been? Are you okay? Did Kylo Ren hurt you?

Rey went from utter excitement to concern. Ora was in shock. She spoke so easily and so quickly through the Force. How long had she been training?

Ora struggled to answer. She had been so out of practice with the Force. I'm okay. I'm with Maz now. Ben and Maz are taking good care of me and I'm doing what I can for them.

Rey didn't reply back. She went completely silent.

"Is everything okay, Ora?" Ben asked.

She would have told him precisely what happened, but it would be obvious then she wished so bad to be with Rey and Finn and Leia again. So she said nothing of the sort. "Yea. Rey just spoke to me through the Force. She was wondering if I was okay."

He nodded once, changing the subject now. "Would you like to go eat some place?"

"That sounds nice. We are starving," she said with a big smile.

xxx

The food was delicious and something different from what Maz usually made on the ship. The place itself was elegant and peaceful. A tall droid clothed in a tux was playing the piano in the corner.

"Is there anything I can get for you Mr. and Mrs. ?" the droid asked.

Ora was about to correct the droid, but Ben spoke first. "Solo." He finished chewing his food and swallowed, so he wouldn't talk again with his mouth full. "And no, we are good, thanks."

Her cheeks turned slightly red as she looked at him when the droid walked away with a tray full of finished plates.

"You're red," he noted.

She scoffed. "No I'm not. I'm just flushed from the heat in here."

"My guess is it's only sixty five degrees in here."

"You're such a smart ass."

He smiled at her, taking another bite of food. She was truly heating up, however, to the point of sweating. She just hoped it didn't seep through her clothes.

Ben looked at her again and laughed. "Are you sure you're alright?"

She stared at him, trying not to smile. "Yes!" She said, chucking a small piece of food at him. It hit him right in the nose. He picked up some of his food and threw it right back.

People were staring at them, but they didn't care. They were both laughing like small children, tossing little bits of food at one another.

When they were finished, they tipped the waitress, paid the bill, and walked out. Ben lifted his arm, holding her hand tight and let her twirl. She looked up at him with a big smile, feeling like someone special beneath his loving stare.

"We should probably get back to Maz. I'm sure she is wondering where we're at," Ben said.

Ora sighed. "Yea. I think the nurse wanted to check up on the baby."

"And that is very important. Let's get going."

They walked back to the ship. Maz was in the pit, all ready to adjust the switches for take-off. When they entired the living area, she made her way to them, looking as chirp as ever.

"I see you've enjoyed your day being away from the ship?" she asked.

"My apologies for taking her away for so long," Ben said, his face blank.

"Oh, you two have nothing to apologize for. I myself have been cooped up in this ship for too long. I miss my castle in Takodana." She looked sideways to glance at Ben, but immediately changed the subject. "Ah, well, I fear we will have to leave immediately. There seems to be First Order members lurking the cities now. Don't want anyone to recognize Ben, now do we? I think not. Any requests to our next destination? Somewhere close, I think. I need to get off this ship again as soon as possible."

Maz didn't wait for them to give any suggestions. She walked back into the pit to set their new destination.

"Come on," Ben said, placing his hand on her back. "Let's go see W3-6. She is waiting for us in the med bay."

The past few weeks, Ben had simply asked the droid how Ora and the baby was doing. He never actually went with her when W3-6 checked on her. This was the first.

Ora hopped up on the metal bench, ankles crossed. The droid rolled in, touching a bunch of buttons on the ultrasound. "Would you like to know the gender, Princess?"

Still with the formalities, she sighed. "Nope. Don't want to know a single thing except the health and progress. I love surprises...good ones at least."

"Of course, my lady." The droid gestured her to lay on her back, lifting her tunic and exposing her belly. The droid rubbed gel around her stomach and then placed the overhead scanner over her stomach. The droid rolled over to the other side to see what was inside. When the droid assessed what she needed to, she rolled back over to her and Ben who was sitting on a seat in the corner, quietly watching.

"The baby isn't growing as it should, my lady. I'll have to adjust your vitamins and your diet, and it's best that you stay on bedrest for now. That means absolutely no getting up unless you need to use the bathroom or take a shower. Anything else will be brought to you."

Ben growled. "What do you mean he or-or she isn't growing? I thought I told you to monitor her properly; all the time if you had to."

Ora sat up, wiping away the gel. "It's okay, Ben. She's doing great. It happens. I'm surprised, though," she said then to the droid. "With how big I've gotten you think he would be a decent size."

"My apologies, my lady. You must rest now."

As much as she hated the idea of having to stay in bed, she knew it was best not to argue with the droid because she knew Ben would quickly turn to W3-6's side if she tried. Ora walked to her own room with Ben following silently behind her. When she sat on her bed, she dreaded it all the more that she was going to be stuck there most of the time for the next few months. Ben sat down next to her, waiting for her to say something. He knew she wanted to complain, and he was ready to listen.

She put her head on his shoulder. "Do I have to stay in bed all day?"

"All day for the next few months, yes." He smiled, lifting her face to his. He leaned in and kissed her.

She kissed back fiercly, wrapping her arms around his waist. His hand stroked her hair back and rested on her neck, his thumb on her throat. Ora flinched back, breaking the kiss. Ben looked angry.

"Why did you flinch?"

Let her go, Anakin!

Obi-Wan's voice rang through her head, repeating his demand to Anakin over and over.

Ben stood up. "You still think me of the dark side. You still see Kylo Ren."

She shook her head. "No, that's not it, Ben."

"Then what is it?" he asked. It was interesting to see how someone could hold so much anger in his eyes, but the way he talked and carried him self appeared so even and calm. "You flinched. I'm not blind."

Ora couldn't dare speak. She didn't want to hurt him. It felt like Ben had to be sheltered and protected or he would snap, break himself and find his way back to Kylo Ren again. She couldn't let that happen. He had come so far since that dreadful night. She didn't want to be the reason he began slipping back.

"I-I don't know, it was subconscious-"

He cut her off. "That worse than consciously doing it."

She struggled to find something to say. In the few seconds she tried racking her brain for whatever she could, Ben walked out without another word.

Would she ever find herself successful?