When Ben landed on the planet that his Uncle had called home for so many years, he felt odd. It felt so empty, so deserted, so lonely. His Uncle had been living here for years in self-inflicted solitude. It was then that Ben realized what he had done to his family. He had torn them apart, he had forced his Uncle to live a life like this. His Uncle was a man who loved him unconditionally, and yet he had forced him to feel so alone and unwanted. Ben vowed to spend the rest of his Uncle's life making it up to him. He sent his knights out to scour the rest of the planet even though he knew they wouldn't find anything. While they were gone, he explored the bit of rock he was on. He found what had been her room. The cot in the corner must have served as her bed. It was pretty barren, but then again, Rey lived a simple life. Ben walked over to her bed and sat down. It was harder than his bed, but probably softer than whatever she'd been used to on Jakku. Ben suddenly was struck with an idea. He closed his eyes and felt around with the force to make sure he was alone. Then, when he was positive that it was only him in the near vicinity, he took his mask off before bringing her pillow to his face and inhaling deeply. He was right, it did smell like her. It smelled like sun and hope. Ben put the pillow back on the bed before putting his mask back on. With a sigh, he got up and left her little room. He walked back to the base of the island to meet up with his men.
"There's no one here," one of the knights said.
"Looks like a dead end," another agreed. Ben knew he had to keep up appearances and be surprised and annoyed. He ignited his light saber and hacked up a nearby tree before turning back to his knights.
"Are you sure you looked everywhere?" he asked.
"Affirmative," the first one replied.
"If they were here, they must've left," the other added. Ben let out what he hoped sounded like an aggravated sigh.
"Ready the ship to leave," he ordered.
"Yes, Sir," they replied before leaving to the ship. Ben breathed a sigh of relief. They'd bought his act. Would Hux?
Rey awoke when they landed at the rebel base. She was barely off the ship before she got tackle hugged by Finn and Poe. BB8 wasn't too far behind.
"Rey! You're alright!" Finn said into her hair.
"You're one to talk! The last time I saw you, you were on death's door," Rey teased.
"Poe nursed me back to health," Finn told her as he let go.
"Oh did he, now?" Rey raised a brow at the two men.
"I didn't do much…" Poe said as he scratched his neck.
"That's not what the nurses told me when I woke up," Finn shot back, "they told me that he was by my side whenever he was on base and he'd ask the nurses if he could help."
"Aw, that's so sweet," Rey teased Poe.
"I would do it for any one of my friends," Poe tried to deflect.
"Oh, I don't doubt it," Rey laughed, "Well, care to give me the grand tour? A lot's changed since the last time I was here."
~0~
The trio went around the base, finally ending at Rey's quarters.
"And this is your room. If you need anything, Poe and I are in the room across the hall," Finn told her.
"You two share a room?" her eyebrow raised.
"The base is crowded," Poe explained.
"Then how come I'm not sharing a room? Mine doesn't even have two beds," Rey said.
"More guys than girls," Poe quickly responded.
"Okay…" Rey said not buying it for a second. However, she wasn't going to push them for answers.
"It's getting late. I know you probably slept on the way here, but I'd suggest trying to go to bed at a normal time to get over the ship lag," Poe advised.
"Will do. Thanks, Poe," Rey said as she closed the door behind her. She flopped down on her bed and sighed. This was softer than her last bed. How was she supposed to sleep on this? Rey rolled over on her side. She wondered what Ben was up to. She was worried about him. She didn't know how well he'd be able to keep up his act, and the last thing she wanted was for him to get hurt when she couldn't be there to help him. She knows he'd never let her protect him, but she at least want to be by his side to help him fight his battles. He'd been on his own long enough. She had too, come to think of it. Rey took her shoes off and stripped down to the bare minimum before sliding under her covers. Maybe the softness wasn't so hard to get used to. She could already feel her body getting used to the way it fit around her curves and cradled her. It was kind of like someone cuddling her. With a smile on her face, she began to drift off into the night.
A/N: Well guys, another chapter. I also finally updated my Labyrinth fic today after over a year, so if any of you guys are into the Labyrinth, feel free to check that out