Author's Note: Okay, fair warning this chapter is filled with some deliciously mature content. Don't look at me, I blame Ben and Rey because really it wasn't my idea at all. If that's not your thing, then basically the whole chapter will be unreadable. LOL. Okay, well maybe you could just read the beginning… and skip to the part after the break.

Now work is going to be crazy this week, so I don't think I can put together a decent chapter in two days. So, this week I'm shooting for Thursday - hopefully. As always, let me know what you think 😊

Rey could only gaze back and forth between Ben and the ring he'd given her. And she knew there was nothing else she could say that could capture the feelings in her heart. So she rose from her chair, pulling Ben to stand with her, and she brushed a light kiss against his lips. She took her time, softly exploring the impossibly exquisite taste and feel of him so near to her. She felt his darkness and his light all at once. The fear was still there but it was tempered by a new energy – love. And it had changed the signature of his Force, that dark mesmerizing abyss she'd fallen for was now pierced by bright light and she wanted to explore it more.

So, she did, deepening their kiss, giving him warmth and feeling him respond with a cool, dark touch. Then she gave him her own bottomless fear, cold and raw from that chasm inside of herself, and he offered a soothing light to bring her back into balance.

When she pulled away to appreciate him, his eyes had a gorgeous warmth about them. His change was startling to her in that moment. But the change she saw in him perfectly matched the energy she felt radiating from the stone at the center of her ring.

"How did you do it?" she asked. "Infuse your Force into this gem?"

"It's not a gem." He smiled then, a proud smile that captured his entire expression. "It's a small piece of the kyber crystal from Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber," he said. "I gave most of it to you, but set aside a small piece. I meditated on it the first night in Corellia. I focused on the light, my love for you, and it produced a balanced crystal."

She raised the ring closer to peer at the living embodiment of his Force at its center, marveling at the purple kyber crystal he'd attuned for her. "You remained in balance for long enough to give the crystal this color?"

His eyes sparkled, knowing as well as she did what such a thing meant.

And then she was kissing him again, this time with all of the light of love she could give. They remained in each other's arms, exploring each other under the leafy canopy, feeling the web of force in balance around and between them, until the time came for them to return to the Finalizer.

It was all they could do to keep their hands off each other as they made their way from the Coruscant Menagerie to their command shuttle. Maybe it was the wine, maybe it was finally sharing the truth of how they felt, or committing fully to one another, or maybe it was a combination of all of these, but something had changed between them.

Though they appeared collected on the outside, she could feel Ben's emotions through their bond. The love he'd shared with her now intermixed with a lusty need that buzzed between their interlaced fingers as they held hands. The Praetorian guard stood at the back of the cargo bay in the shuttle, and she wondered if even they could feel the waves of passion and love passing through the Force.

I can't stand it anymore, Ben said. I have to touch you.

We can't with them watching.

Can I cause a sudden distraction that they might need to deal with?

She caught his mischievous look out of the corner of her eye.

I love you, she said.

He smiled as he sent a wave of love through their bond, immediately followed by a dark pulse of something else.

Desire.

A shiver of anticipation surged through her and she could only squeeze his hand.

Oh Force stop making that face, he said, biting his lip.

What face? I am not making a face. She pouted, crossing her legs to try to suppress the feelings stirring inside of her.

He laughed out loud.

She glanced at the three guards, standing like statues and she wondered what they thought about their Emperor laughing to himself when no one had said a word out loud.

The thought made her laugh next.

They must think we're insane, she said.

I don't really care what they think, he said. If it were up to me, we'd still be in the menagerie on the grass and I'd be worshipping every inch of you.

She'd never heard him speak so boldly about something so intimate and it warmed her from the inside out.

You know we can't do that. Not until we understand who is loyal to us and who isn't.

We could. He raised his eyebrows. It might be worth a memory wipe or three.

You are so devious.

His wicked grin came at the same time as the flash of a memory he sent through their bond. A memory she'd re-visited several times herself when he was away on Corellia, except this time it was from his point of view. She saw rain pouring down her face as he held her against that door behind the landing pad and kissed her, caressing her with all the darkness he could summon. Then the memory turned into a fantasy and he was pressing her against the door of the shuttle instead, with all of the Praetorian guard watching…

She snorted out loud, which made him laugh again.

Laughing, flirting, needing to be close to each other – was this how life with Ben could really be? If it was, it was something worth fighting for.

She rested her head on his shoulder and the engine lurched as the shuttle approached the hangar of the Finalizer.

Finally, the shuttle door opened, and they descended the ramp, making their way to the officer's deck with the guards bringing up the rear.

"Would you like me to escort you to your room my lady? Or can I invite you to mine?" His voice was a husky whisper in her ear.

"Do you really need to ask?"

"Yes," he said. "Can't you see I'm trying very hard to be a gentleman?"

She laughed and pulled him into the turbolift, pushing the button indicating the floor to his room. They rode in silence with the guards staring straight ahead.

The Force of Ben in the enclosed lift nearly unraveled her composure. His passion was boiling over, the intensity of his need for her was as clear through their bond as it was on his frustrated face. Knowing what he was thinking about, seeing what he wanted to do to her… oh stars. And they were only holding hands. What would she do with those hands on her body? She bit her lower lip. This lift needed to hurry up. What was taking so kriffing long?

Patience, he said.

Am I that easy to read?

You were practically screaming.

This is torture, she said.

The door to the turbolift finally slid open and they attempted to appear regal as they made it to Ben's room and opened the door. The guards posted themselves outside and finally, they were alone.

Rey tripped on Ben's foot as they entered, careening into one of the giant vases in the entry. She caught it with a push of Force, righted herself, and stumbled into Ben's arms.

He captured her mouth with his and pinned her against the wall of the entry. His hands roved over the silken fabric of her dress, over her hips, and up to the exposed skin on her back. He stopped there and pressed his body against hers and when she felt how ready he was for this, for her, a heat bloomed at the core of her, but there were too many layers keeping them apart. She struggled with his cloak, finally freeing it and flinging it over the back of a chair. Before she could start on his tunic, he was leading her out of the entry and past the dining room table.

Something dropped with a thud across the room and Ben pulled away long enough for Rey to catch a glimpse of a very flustered Quinn who had just entered with a large bag.

"Oh dear! Emperor Ren, Lady Rey. I'm so sorry, excuse me. I'll bring the rest of your baggage tomorrow."

Ben's voice was low and husky when he spoke. "It's okay Quinn. Lady Rey will need her belongings, too. She'll be staying here, but keep it quiet."

She thought she caught a fleeting smile cross Quinn's features before he regained himself and was moving to the door. "Of course. I'll… I'll bring them up first thing in the morning. I'll just leave you two…"

And he was off before he even finished his sentence.

"I just adore him," Rey said, finding an exposed place on Ben's neck to tease with her mouth. "He's been such a help."

"He's been a trove of advice since you came to me." Ben's breathing sped up and his hands were exploring again.

She felt him shiver when her mouth found his earlobe.

"Is that right?" she whispered against his ear.

"He knew you loved me. He told me as much."

"That little rat," she said, a smile pulling at her lip.

"You should thank him," he said. "He told me to go easy on you this morning."

And he was tugging her down the hall into the bedroom, unable to stop kissing her long enough to walk straight. Finally, he found the bed by backing into it, releasing a muffled grunt of pain. Rey pushed his shoulders playfully, indicating for him to lie back.

He'd done so much for her today. Forgiven her. Said he loved her. Given her a ring and proposed to her. It was time for her to do something for him.

So, she straddled him on the bed, running hands through his hair. Ben was hers tonight. Ben was hers every night beginning with this moment. She could touch him anywhere she liked. And she would, starting from that luscious, thick hair and working her way down. The thought kickstarted her heart's rhythm again and she wondered if she'd ever catch her breath with his body so near.

His deliciously full lower lip was begging to be kissed, so she bent to taste him again. She would never be able to drink her fill of him. His taste, his smell, his Force – she was completely wrapped up in him and it still wasn't enough. He responded with a warm touch of pure devotion through their bond and she melted around the edges.

Then her hands were on his shoulders. She wanted to appreciate every part of him, as she moved lower, to the hard lines of his chest through his tunic. She made a frustrated grunt, tugging at the clothing, and he had it off in a heartbeat. Her eyes paid homage to his perfectly sculpted form and oh she wanted him so badly, it had already begun to ache.

She ran her fingers over each exposed muscle, tracing every ripple with a delicate finger and he was breathing heavily now, bucking his hips in response to her attention. His large hands nearly wrapped around her waist as he held onto her, and when she kissed a trail from his chest to his neck, he began fiddling with the clasps on her dress.

When he growled, a lusty sound of frustration, she scoffed, echoing his tease from the elevator. "Patience."

But she conceded to help, pulling the dress over her head and she was left wearing only her underthings. His hands crept up her sides, framing her chest, teasing over the fabric of her breast band, before he unwrapped it slowly. She knelt over him, fully exposed in the low light, and her breath hitched as he grazed a palm over the delicate flesh, her skin singing for more attention. He caressed gently, and Rey leaned into his touch, groaning as she rocked against him.

The hunger in his eyes nearly drained her of any patience she had left.

But it didn't matter, because soon, he was flipping her onto her back and now he was the one looking down at her. He kissed her again, like a man quenching his thirst, desperate and deep. When he fully lowered himself onto her, the exchange of energy she felt with his bare chest against hers made her nearly lose her mind.

Rey pulled at his pants, wanting desperately to feel all of him against her and soon, they were both completely bare, just skin and roaming hands. Each kiss had now deepened into something so powerful, she had to remind herself to breathe.

Her heart was beating in time to the thundering Force of him – it was all encompassing now, churning alongside her own energy in waves, filling the space with the ebb and flow of their combined power. But as the flood of Force had grown, so had the ache in her core, now so wholly demanding, she couldn't ignore the heat of it any longer. She groaned in his ear as he began to move his body against her. A wave of dark passion crashed into her and she responded with a flash of warmth.

She heard his sharp intake of breath when her hands roved to feel him, all of him, and he released a lusty sigh.

"Oh Force, Rey…" his low voice, raw with need for her ignited something primal within and she clutched his back and pulled him hard against her.

She relished the weight of him, enjoying being crushed under his body and she began to roll her hips beneath him. She whimpered, the need for him having grown to something nearly intolerable now, burning like the hottest day on Jakku, and satisfying that need for him was all she could think about, all that mattered.

He breathed a heavy whisper into her ear, "I love you."

Rey tried to return the words, but all that came was a low moan of agreement. It was so difficult to focus on anything but how close he was to bringing her over the edge, to building this potent need into release. Even pressed flush against him, still she needed more of him. If he would only give her what she wanted. She needed him closer. She needed him everywhere. Oh stars, was he going to make her beg?

His lusty chuckle in her ear was answer enough and she felt the heat of him so close now. She ground herself against him and he hummed his pleasure at the contact. She spread herself open for him, offering herself up completely and she begged.

"Please."

And finally, he relented, giving all of himself to her. She felt their joining everywhere, a shiver of pleasure and delicious surging of flesh and friction as he filled her. His hands sent waves of Force through her as he attended to every inch of her skin. All of this as he gradually built his tempo, continuing to rock against her. The Force of his dark energy, coming from that passionate abyss, only magnified the feeling of him as it tore through every part of her, and she offered her light in response. They teetered on the edge, feeling the power of their bond grow the longer they remained in delicate balance.

She arched her back to meet each thrust of his hips and he was making amazing little grunts into her ear. She couldn't get close enough, couldn't feel enough of him as her hands clutched at his back, his shoulders. His hands tangled in her hair as their bodies came together again and again. Now his thoughts were light, love and belonging and she countered with her passion for him, dark and lusty, that hunger for his body and again, it brought them closer. A balance of power swelled between them, unreleased and growing as they neared the edge together.

He was beside her, inside her, and all around her all at once, physically and through the bond, and in that moment, she truly felt them joined in all ways. He was the darkness to her bright light, but also the warmth to her bitter cold. They were in perfect synchrony and they threaded that sensitive balance, each adjusting to the other and she was so close now, so close and she couldn't keep her breath from coming in short gasps with each move of his hips, each hot breath in her ear, each plunge now bringing her closer to the precipice.

Then, together they flung themselves over the edge, the ache inside of her giving way to an explosion of pleasure, shuddering from somewhere deep within her. She heard Ben's throaty cry as he came with her, over that cliff and into something else. The Force of their love, their passion, their fear, and their hope burst from them as they let it all go and she was sure she felt the room tilt on its side.

Echoes of pleasure coursed through her as they lay entwined together, gasping, hearts thundering.

Ben's weight on her as his breathing gradually slowed reminded her that she was still somehow bound to this galaxy. And Rey was afraid to move, for fear of losing this perfect moment.

When he eventually rolled off of her, she gave a small cry of complaint at the loss of him.

"I'm sorry." His voice, thick with passion made her want to touch him everywhere all over again, but she settled for nestling close into her favorite place between his neck and shoulder. He wrapped his arms fully around her and they lay like that for a while, feeling the last remnants of their joining as it continued to ripple through the Force around them.

"That was…" But once she started talking she wished she hadn't ruined the perfect silence, because there was obviously no way to describe what he had made her feel.

You could never ruin anything. Tell me.

"The balance, did you feel it?" she asked.

"Yes."

"And when we released it?"

"Power," he said. "Did you feel the movement?"

She would have thought he was joking, had she not felt the sensation of the bed tilting herself.

"It felt like the whole ship keeled," she said. "We really should be more careful."

He huffed a laugh and gathered her closer.

"How is that even possible?" she asked.

"I don't know. Everything about you is a mystery to me."

"It wasn't me, it was us. It was balance. Do you think we are more powerful together, combining our Force?"

"Jedi were never encouraged to take a partner and the Sith knew passion but not love. Love would be considered a great weakness. So I don't know if there's a precedent for what we have."

Rey considered that. Yes, love made them vulnerable to people trying to break them apart, but when they were together, Rey was starting to feel it. Had just felt it so powerfully. They were more when they used the Force together. Like two halves of a whole.

She pressed one last kiss to his lips, before settling back into that space next to him.

I don't deserve this.

Yes you do. And she made sure he knew it, sending her love in its most pure form through their bond, trying to make him understand how much she needed him.

He ran a hand through her hair, letting his eyes close and she could feel his every thought through their open bond. It would be too much to feel his thoughts so completely at other times, too distracting with other people and other things to attend to. But here, in the hazy aftermath of their love, he was completely open to her and she followed the course of his mind as if it was her own.

He was remembering the details of her body, the way it felt to be inside her, to be so connected. Thinking that he would do anything to keep her safe. He remembered his failure to keep her from Kezzik and he turned that idea over and over – Kezzik's threat to her. He worried over what they would do when he returned from Balmorra.

Rey was surprised with how quickly his thoughts moved compared with hers, he'd gone from love to fear in only seconds. No wonder balance for him was so difficult.

It will be okay, we'll figure it out, she said. I just felt what we are capable of together.

Now that I know what I have to lose, I'm even more afraid.

She gave him what balance she could in her groggy state and she felt his mind slow and his breathing begin to even out. She knew he had to be exhausted. He'd probably stayed up all night last night trying to reach her through the bond as she selfishly pushed him out again and again. And the night before that, he'd stayed up meditating on the kyber crystal for her. And somehow, he'd managed to give her the best night of her life and still had enough energy left over to bring her more pleasure than she ever thought possible.

And he thought he didn't deserve her?

Ben's breathing deepened as sleep took him, but she continued to pour her love into him, even as he slept. Eventually, Rey fell asleep that way, warm and content, sheltered in his arms.

Rey slept better than she ever had and when she woke in the early morning, finding Ben so close, with his arm still draped over her, she couldn't resist touching him. She ran her fingers up and down his arm, over his biceps, his chest, down to the divot of his naval until he stirred. He sighed sleepily, not opening his eyes as he pulled her onto him. She bent to kiss his drowsy mouth, it was a slow, lazy kiss at first. But when she pressed herself fully against him, he groaned, a sound from some dreamy far-away place and his body awoke underneath her. They made love again and Rey was sure she would never want to leave his bed, their bed again.

They both admitted they could use a few more minutes of rest and it seemed as soon as Rey drifted off, she was dreaming of the menagerie on Coruscant. She was lying on the grass next to Ben, her head resting on his arm, as they watched the butterflies dance overhead. He leaned over, kissing her and it felt so real, even the taste of him was right, but the dream was changing now, and the figure over her wasn't Ben anymore, but Kylo Ren.

His voice chilled her blood as it came through his mask. "When I am free of you, there will be no conflict." He was pressing his lightsaber against her neck, so close it buzzed in her ear like a swarm of bees.

Suddenly, the dream was torn away by a shockwave of sound and she was aware of herself in bed, with Ben's warm arms wrapped around her still.

Blaster fire issued from somewhere very close and Rey sat up straight. Thinking it was part of her nightmare, she turned to Ben. But he was also sitting up now. He'd heard it, too.

"What's going on?" she said, heart pounding in her chest.

"I don't know." Waves of dark Force were already rolling off of him, fear, anger, as he reached for his tunic.

With her eyes still heavy with sleep she gathered the sheets around her naked body and Force pulled her dress to her, the only clothing she had nearby. Voices carried from down the hallway and heavy footfalls were at the bedroom door before she'd managed to pull the dress over her head.

She was still half-tangled in the sheets when a familiar figure entered the room.

Finn stood in the doorway wearing a New Order officer's uniform, blaster drawn, as he darted a glance between her and Ben. She watched the recognition spread slowly across his features, his eyes growing wide in utter disbelief. Then, slowly the shock faded, and his lips twisted into a disgusted grimace. His eyes cut into Rey with all the hurt and pain of a broken promise and he raised the muzzle of the blaster, pointing it between her and Ben.