Rey watched as the two men stared at each other as though they were both seeing a ghost. Kylo lowered his gun to point at the ground and gaped at Eero, his mind a torrent of confusion and astonishment.

Eero broke their trance, majestically lifting his head and rushing to Kylo, throwing his arms around him, and embracing him ardently.

Rey could feel Kylo's heart race, his body swell with surprise and affection. Somehow she could feel the strength of Eero's hug, the warmth of his arms surrounding Kylo's tall frame, and Kylo's sincere and emotional reciprocation. They broke apart, but Eero kept his hands on Kylo's shoulders.

"It is so good to see you, Ben." Eero gazed at Kylo proudly and fondly.

Rey was struggling under the deluge of Kylo's tumultuous emotions.

Kylo nodded at Eero gravely, his expression dominated by shock and veneration, "It is good to see you too, my friend," he said finally, his voice softer and more raw than Rey had ever heard it.

They nodded at each other, sharing in the reverie for another long moment.

"You're with the resistance, Ben?" Eero asked suddenly, clapping his friend on the arm approvingly, "Last I heard you had…" his smile faded and he broke his gaze from Kylo's face. He was having a hard time choosing his words. Finally he finished, "Aunt Leia was worried that you were… heading down a dark path." Eero's voice had dropped low and his expression darkened. He raised his gaze back to meet Kylo's. Kylo was maintaining a stoic countenance.

"But that was a long time ago," Eero's voice trailed off.

Kylo's face betrayed no emotions, but Rey felt his storm of anguish and conflict. "A long time ago," Kylo repeated quietly, unable to find any other words to explain.

Eero nodded to him, "I understand, Ben. The past is in the past. I am so glad to see you again." He pulled Kylo into another embrace. Kylo responded more stiffly this time; Rey felt guilt and shame creep into his senses.

Eero turned to her, looking her over again as those seeing her for the first time, "And this gorgeous creature?" He said to Kylo, grinning at him approvingly, "She is beautiful and a Jedi; I can see why you came back to the good side." He winked at Kylo, and turned his kind smile back to Rey.

She shuffled slightly, "No. It's not-"

"She's is my Padawan." Kylo said firmly, cutting her off.

I am your what?! She shot at him, glaring at him as Eero looked away. He smirked.

"Well what can I do for you and your Padawan, Ben?" Eero said, his voice stately and elegant.

Rey jumped in, "We are trying to get to Dantooine." She glared at Kylo, who looked uncomfortable but did not correct her. "We were on our way there when we hit the remains of Taris, which damaged this ship beyond repair."

Eero nodded again, "We have some work between here and Dantooine. We can drop you off once we have unloaded our shipments."

"Thank you, Captain Calrissian." Rey said, her heart leaping. "We would be most grateful to you for your help."

Eero took her hand again, holding it gently between own. He leaned closely towards her, whispering charmingly into her ear, "Please, my dear, call me Eero." He gazed piercingly at her, grinning broadly.

Kylo pushed forward, taking Rey's hand from Eero's and smilingly accusingly at his friend, "Alright, alright."

Eero smirked playfully at Kylo, "Come, let me make you both comfortable aboard my ship." He led the way back to his ship, his crew following behind. Rey realized Kylo was still holding her hand, and tugged it from his grasp. He released her, flexing his hand after she had left his grip.

Eero's ship was large, but the interior living space was barely bigger than that of the Falcon's. There was only one large room, and at the center there was one long table. Rey and Kylo took seats next to each other, while the other pirates dropped into other seats around them, or continued into other rooms, performing work on the ship.

"We have some shipments to drop off at Bandomeer, and more heading to Toprawa." Eero explained, and then he dropped his voice suddenly, "We had been planning to stop into Taris for some shore leave, but given the circumstances, we will continue on straight to Bandor." He glanced towards the end of the table. "Merek had a woman and some children on Bandomeer. He has heard nothing from her or her family, so we can only assume they were lost in the attack."

Rey noticed the pirate called Merek sitting by himself; his face was pale and cold. The longer she looked at him, the deeper she felt his emotions; despair, grief, anger. She turned back to Eero, "That is terrible, Eero. I am so sorry."

Eero nodded sternly.

Rey felt Kylo shift next to her. She saw that he, too, was gazing at Merek. He was sensing Merek's emotions as she had done. Kylo looked troubled, but as soon as he caught her glancing at him he blocked her aggressively.

Eero diverted their attention, charismatically turning to Rey and leaning in towards her, conspiratorially asking, "So, love, what lies has Ben been telling you about me? I must dispel your misconceptions at once!" He smirked at Kylo who returned his smile while shifting uncomfortably.

Rey quickly exchanged a glance with Kylo, "Uh, well…"

Kylo cut in, "I haven't deemed any story about you appropriate for my padawan, Eero."

Eero laughed heartily, "Ahh, you turncoat! You're just jealous that all your best stories all center around this charming hero." He raised eyebrows proudly, winking at Rey.

Rey laughed at Kylo's exacerbated face, "Wait; how exactly do you two know each other?"

Eero laugh slowed, as he looked at Kylo searchingly. "You really haven't mentioned me?" He sounded hurt, and his smile faded slightly. "I thought that Jedis were incredibly close with their Masters."

Rey turned to Kylo's pained face, before interjecting, "My Master is a very private man. I know very little about his past."

Eero smiled, somewhat placated by Rey's words. She felt a nudge of gratitude from Kylo.

She couldn't help herself, and before she could stop she was saying, "Just because he is a private man, doesn't mean you need to be, Eero." She grinned at him mischievously, ignoring Kylo's groan.

Eero laughed and began, "Oh I can tell you anything you want to know about your Master. You see, Ben and I grew up together - our father's were friends. They had smuggled together, and later they fought together in the war."

Kylo retorted, "Yeah… of course that was after Lando had sold Han to Boba Fett,"

Eero rebuked, "Hey, Papa made up for that when he saved Han's ass from Jabba, but Han never gave Papa his ship back."

Kylo gaped at Eero, "Lando lost the Falcon to Dad, fair and square."

Rey watched this exchange. They spoke with the familiarity of a conversation that had been repeated a hundred times before. The two knew theirs lines; they were retelling words from the past, perhaps words learned from their families. For a brief moment Rey could picture it, the two young boys arguing about their heroic fathers; she could see young Ben's shaggy hair falling into his adolescent face. It made her smile.

Kylo sensed her connection to his memories, and raised his eyes to meet her gaze. That boy is dead. His voice echoed in her mind, both pained and stern. Rey retreated back into her own thoughts.

Having missed the silent exchange between Rey and Kylo, Eero continued, "Ben and I grew up like brothers. Uncle Han was always dropping him off with my Papa, and Ben would stay with us for weeks, sometimes months while Han was finishing jobs here and there."

Rey frowned slightly at the thought of Han leaving Kylo behind. She glanced at Kylo, but he was looking intently at Eero.

"We would get into so much trouble!" Eero smirked at Kylo, who grinned, "We used to sneak into one of the shops on my street and steal bags of sweets, and then climb up onto the roof of one the of tallest buildings in my neighborhood and we would just watch the city traffic."

"Or throw things at passersby." Kylo murmured, roguishly.

"Ha! Remember that game we used to play where we would take parts from the scrap mounds and bet how high up the cliff face we could throw them?"

"Junk Throw?" Kylo supplied.

"Clever name." Rey interjected sarcastically.

"Yes! Junk Throw!" Eero chuckled, "and then we accidentally hit that Twi'lek and then he chased us for almost an hour!" Eero laughed.

Kylo grumbled, "It's not funny. You father was furious about that, and he blamed me."

Eero laughed harder, "It was your fault!"

"It was your idea!"

Eero laughed, and despite himself Kylo joined him, laughing heartily. Rey turned to watch him, his face breaking into a beautiful smile. She stared up at him, admiring his handsome face and enjoying the sound of he deep laugh. He looked down at her, sensing that she was thinking about him. He felt her admiration, and heard her think, he is so handsome. It surprised him, but before he could process her statement, Eero continued.

"And eventually Ben started to control his powers. He had always had them, even from a very young age you could tell that he… I don't know… well I'm sure you had a similar experience, growing into your power – everything changed once he could control The Force, and then well - then the whole city was our playground."

Eero glanced at Rey, his expression cheeky and wicked, "We could do anything we wanted, and Ben would do his hand wave thing and no one would remember that we had even been there. We could go wherever we wanted, take whatever we wanted, I remember one time, Ben smuggled us into the women's showering room at the wellness facility – HA! – none of them were any the wiser." He smirked at Ben, who, to Rey's surprise, was blushing.

She felt herself mirroring his mortification, as she imagined him and Eero standing in a room full of showering women. She glanced at Kylo, but when his gaze met hers they quickly broke eye-contact, both of their minds swirling with embarrassment. She felt within herself a second emotion; is that… jealousy? As soon as she had the thought she pushed it away, but she feared it was too late. She tried to continue to look away, but she could see Kylo turn to her curiously in her periphery.

"Eero, this is quite enough. I don't think my Padawan wants to know about her Master's devious youth."

Eero smiled at his friend, "Ha – you're just embarrassed." His gaze went far away suddenly, "I know you hated it when Han would leave, Ben, but selfishly, those were always the happiest times for me. Whenever you would leave again, it was like I was falling back into a bleak reality."

Kylo looked at Eero sympathetically, and Rey felt like she was truly seeing the Ben from Eero's stories.

She noticed that his mind was completely open and exposed. All his barricades had come down and he was focusing entirely on his friend. She resolutely stayed away, allowing him his privacy.

Kylo said nothing, but his face spoke volumes, clearly in a language the Eero could read because he reached across the table, clapping Kylo on the shoulder and shaking him with solidarity.

"It's so good to see you again." Kylo said, finally.

Eero stilled uncomfortably, sitting back in his chair, his face darkening. As his frown faded, Rey saw a different man replace Kylo's old friend, a man whose heart was sorrowful. She could feel waves of anguish ripple off from him and she knew Kylo would have felt the shift too.

"I am sorry it has been so long, my friend." Eero said, finally, his voice shaken and dark. "After my father passed, it was difficult to continue to visit your parents."

Rey felt Kylo stiffen, his stomach drop. She felt him trying to repel the feelings this conversation was rousing. She felt him try to shut out Eero's words, but Eero continued.

"You were away at your training and Aunt Leia- she was so kind to me, but I was too angry; I couldn't accept her kindness. I just wanted to be alone and to be angry at the universe. I pulled away from everyone." Eero looked at his hands as he spoke. "It was a long time after that that I heard that you had run away." He said, lifting his eyes back to meet Kylo's sad gaze. "I am sorry. I was so focused on my own loss, I forgot that my friend might have his own suffering too." He face was full of remorse, "I wish I had been there for you."

Kylo's emotions were bursting. He was struggling to control his conflict: savage rage fought with tormented sorrow. Automatically, Rey reached her hand under the table to rest on his leg; she sent her compassion and empathy to him through their connection. She felt his mind accept her emotions, and then calm.

"There was nothing you could have done." He responded, finally. His voice was despondent but controlled.

Eero nodded, but Kylo's statement did nothing to ease his suffering. "What happened? Why did you run away?"

Kylo stared resolutely at the table, "It's a long story." His voice was dark and harsh; he was not going to expand on his statement. The group shifted uncomfortably at the silence left by his words.

One of Eero's men came over with large bottle of liquor, refilling the group's cups. It broke them from their somber reverie.

Eero's smile slowly returned, "Enough, we must be boring your gorgeous apprentice." He smirked at Rey, taking her hand between his own. "Tell me Rey, how is it that you came to be the Padawan of Ben here?"

She shifted uncomfortably, "Uh, well…" she glanced up to Kylo questioningly. I don't actually know that works.

He intervened, stating vaguely, "Rey was selected to be my apprentice."

Eero nodded, dropping Rey's hand and leaning forward toward them, "So how does it work? The Padawan/Master relationship? What is required of you both? Ben, we used to talk endlessly about the Force, but, I'm realizing we never really talked about the Jedi."

Kylo nodded, looking to Rey again before lamely stating, "It works like any other partnership, really."

Eero looked skeptical. Rey could sense him reacting in confusion to Kylo's uninspiring description, so to maintain their cover she interjected, "We… uh, we trust each other." She looked up to Kylo and said, "We depend on each other." Kylo tried to hide his surprise upon hearing her words. She continued, "He teaches me, and protects me, and I, uh, try to do the same for him." Kylo was gazing at her, his face blank, but his emotions roiling.

Kylo never lowered his gaze from Rey's, still trying to absorb all she had said. They stared at each other, locked in a deep embrace.

Eero was enthralled by her words, studying the pair intently. "I can see how much you care for one another. It must be an impressive bond that links the two of you."

His words broke them from their trance.

Kylo answered distractedly, mumbling "Yes," as he slowly turned away from Rey.

One of Eero's men came over and collected their cups and plates.

"I am going to put the ship into hibernation mode soon; we will land on Bandoormeer at the end of this sleep cycle."

Eero nodded to his crewmember, "Good. Have you made up the spare quarters for our guests?"
The man nodded, "Yes sir, but we don't have a cot to spare for one of them."

Kylo and Rey both shifted comfortably.

Kylo quickly interjected, "Rey can have the bed, I can make due with a blanket if you have one to spare."

"I've already put extra blankets in your room." The crewmember responded, nodding to Eero before excusing himself.

Eero rose from the table. "Well, it is time to turn in, we will have work to do in the morning, so if we are in city completing our delivery when you awake, tomorrow, please feel free to roam the city. We won't be leaving again until midday."

Eero lead them down a hall lined with the men's private quarters, stopping at the last one.

He bowed to Rey, lifting her hand to his lips and kissing it, "Goodnight, my lovely."

"Thank you for your hospitality, Eero." She smiled, and entered the small private cabin.

Eero paused, taking in the sight of his old friend. "Goodnight Ben,"

Kylo nodded at him, and then stepped forward and hugged him. "Goodnight my friend," Kylo said.

Kylo released Eero, and turned to follow Rey into the small room they were sharing.

As the door closed behind him, Rey felt a stab of discomfort. She and Kylo looked at each other from opposite sides of their tiny room. She saw the same astonishment and confusion reflected on his face that she was feeling herself. They remained still for a long moment, their tension and awkwardness palpable and mounting.

She centered herself, remembering that Rey and Ben, the Padawan and Master, were nothing more than a cover. Now that they were alone again, they were Rey and Kylo Ren, enemies, wielders of the light and the dark respectively, betrayers of each other's trust.

Rey felt her anger and distrust of him return, and turned wordlessly the cabinet, pulling out blankets and pillows for her bed.

Without looking up she said, "Eero is a very charming man."

She felt his feelings stir at her statement, but he was barricading his mind such that she could not quite identify the specific emotion.

She turned back to the room, her arms filled with blankets, and saw Kylo sitting on the edge of the bed, his body slumped over and his head in his hands. He long shaggy hair hung in his face. He looked utterly defeated.

Rey froze, stunned. She slowly and carefully searched the corners of his mind, trying to sense whether he wanted her to leave. Instead of the rage and wrath she expected, she found his mind was buried in sorrows, regrets, and loneliness.

She paused, and then walked over to the bed, putting the blankets and pillows down, and taking a seat directly next to him. He barely noticed her presence, and looked up only after she placed her hand on his leg.

He stared down at her for a minute. She sat so close to him that their sides touched, and her arm overlapped his as her hand patted his thigh. She looked up to him, her face blank and guarded.

"Are you okay?" She asked, detaching any emotion from her voice.

He shook his head, and she noted the way his hair flopped back and forth in the movement. It made her stomach churn warmly, and her mind wandered for a moment.

He stared longingly at her, a well of emotion and distress.

"I'm fine." He said, finally, his voice defeated and tired.

Deception, she sensed. He's not okay.

"Kylo, you take the bed tonight." She said gently, lifting herself from the bed and taking two blankets from the pile.

He stood suddenly, and grasped her arm tightly, towering over her in close proximity. "Rey, you take the bed. I'll be fine on the floor."

She went to object and pull her arm from his grasp, but he pulled her closer to him, and leaned down to her face, "Please Rey, let me be strong for just this one moment today."

His face was inches from hers, forlorn and troubled. She was stunned by the honesty of his statement, and pulled away. This time he let her arm go and she backed away from him several steps.

She neglected to argue further, so he grabbed a blanket, and edged away from her at the greatest distance he could manage in the small room, and then lowered himself to the floor. It was a heartbreaking sight for Rey, watching her huge, towering enemy fold himself down into a small lump on the floor. He sat with his back against the wall, and hung his head over his knees, pulling his legs into his chest.

She lowered herself down onto the bed, and pulled the blankets up to her chin. She felt out for him through their connection, skirting the edges of the violent storm that was his current emotional state. She pulled back into herself, wanting to provide him privacy.

She turned over in the bed to study him. His eyes were closed, but his breathing was staggered and ragged.

She quietly said, "You've been incredibly strong today, Kylo."

He lifted his head slowly, his gaze meeting hers through his shaggy hair.

She smiled down at him, her blanket pulled up under her chin.

He nodded at her and thought, Thanks.

She felt him gently showing her his feelings of appreciation.

Goodnight, Kylo. She thought.

Goodnight, Rey.

This one has a lot of exposition so it is a little slow (sorry) but I am trying to set things up for a very exciting chapter next time.

Thanks for all the love and comments, friends. It's very encouraging. 3