~Ben~

The storm troopers had little connection to the Force, so the first few rows were easily swept back using a Force push. There were far too many to control using the Force though, and they were already positioned with their weapons firing.

Ben knew he needed to draw their fire to allow Rey a chance to escape. He was planning to sweep around in an arc toward Hux. So, it was with alarmed frustration that he realized that instead of retreating, Rey was charging toward Hux with Ben's own lightsaber blazing in front of her.

The move required him to change his strategy, immediately. With a strong pull in the Force, he reached for Hux and threw him off his balance, bringing him to the ground along with the troopers guarding him. Rey slowed her pace, slightly confused. She looked to Ben in the chaos.

"Why didn't you run?" He asked her through the Force as he began bolting toward her.

"You needed help," she answered simply, on pace again to intercept Hux before Ben reached him.

"Get out of here," Ben ordered her, thinking the words in his deepest, most forceful tone.

"No," she responded, quite matter-of-fact, apparently unaffected by his bluster.

Ben felt frustration and admiration for her bravery all at once.

He watched her slide in to strike at Hux but the troopers to his side were already pulling themselves to their feet and firing at her. She dodged them handily but missed her target in Hux, the coward was scrambling to hide behind the troopers.

Just then, a shout sounded from somewhere behind Ben. A group of resistance rebels were charging full speed out of the hanger and the woods behind it.

He looked at Rey, wondering if she had known they were planning an ambush, but she seemed as surprised as he was.

"Fall back!" Hux shouted, stumbling back farther, grabbing hold of a trooper beside him for balance.

Ben kept running, not stopping until he was by Rey's side.

The troopers began retreating away from them.

"Why is Hux doing this?" Rey asked quietly, as the fighting died out around them.

Ben looked up, another star destroyer had just dropped out of hyperspace above them. Ben took a deep breath, "I have a bad feeling about this."

Rey took his hand, curling her smaller fingers around his. Hux and his troopers cleared the area faster than Ben would have assumed possible.

"Run," he told Rey urgently.

"What?" she asked, still confused.

He began tugging her back, looking for cover, frantically motioning to the rebels still running out from their hiding places.

"Run!" he shouted.

The start destroyer's weapons were powering up. The beam of the ion cannon was hurtling toward them.

~Rey~

"Ben," Rey cried, looking up and seeing the red beam streaking the sky. She froze in place, reaching for Ben and pulling herself close to him.

It was the end, and there was only one person she wanted to be with. But he didn't wrap his arms around her as she expected.

Ben's body was tense and his attention was trained on the red light of the ion cannon. He raised his hands up, his fingers spread wide. She could feel his power in the Force, drawing into a barrier around the beam.

"Run," his voice was little more than a grunt.

"Ben," she begged, as if there were time for him to come with them.

There wasn't.

He was already holding the beam in place, caught somewhere in the atmosphere above them.

"Rey, run," he whispered, his voice lost inside him somewhere as every ounce of strength was pushed into the effort to hold the weapon's power, "I love you."

Rey felt her feet start running, toward the rebels, toward safety. She didn't want to leave him but she did as he asked, knowing it was what he wanted.

She didn't stop until she was hidden under the cleft of some boulders. She slid into safety and turned to watch him in one movement. Ben was beginning to tremble; the ion bolt was slowly coming down, no longer held steady. She could see his arms shaking as he dropped to his knees, the bolt descending one meter at a time while the rest of the rebels scrambled to safety.

"Ben," Rey spoke directly into his mind, "We're safe, sweetheart, take cover."

He let the bolt drop full speed, still holding his hands above him.

Rey stifled a scream as she realized he wasn't running away. The energy from the blast landed directly in his outstretched hands. Instead of incinerating him though, he caught it somehow, absorbing its energy and draining the power. The effort obliterated in remaining strength, though, in a flash of light it was over.

Ben was flat on the ground, laying on his side, completely still.

"No!" Rey screamed, scrambling to her feet. Her hand covered her mouth, searching for his life-force. It was there, but faint. She burst into a run toward him, her legs working mechanically of their own accord while her emotions surged. Panic, fear and pain enveloped her. She heard people shouting at each other to run, the First Order would be back, the destroyer would fire again, but she couldn't stop her legs from running to Ben.

She dropped to the ground beside him gathering him into her arms; his breathing was faint and shallow.

"Rey," Finn gripped her arm, suddenly at her side, "we have to go."

"No," Rey shook her head vehemently, struggling to pull her arm free of his iron grasp.

"I won't let you stay here; the First Order is on their way back. We need to run now!" He was pulling her away but she gripped Ben's shirt with her hands, effectively fixing herself in place.

"I'm not going without him," she shouted, then burying her face in his chest she cried.

"Rey, he wouldn't want you to die here," Finn dropped to his knees and knelt beside her, "He'll slow us down, we won't make it."

Rey shook her head gathering Ben's hand in hers and pulling it to her lips, "Everyone always gave up on him, Finn. He was always alone." She let out a sob, "We have to bring him with us. I'm not leaving him."

"He's going to die!" Finn shouted.

Rey winced.

Poe jogged over, "We need to go."

"We can't just abandon Ben here for Hux to drag away, torture, and murder as a political prisoner." She looked at Finn and Poe, "Please, help me. He just saved all of our lives!"

"Alright," Finn nodded to Poe, resignation and frustration filling his voice.