Rey rides him, hard, an intense fire in her eyes. He's feeling taken. Maker, what's gotten into her? Not that he's complaining—oh stars, she's taking him so deep!

She'd woken him with her mouth, sucking on his length with an almost greedy urgency. At first he was confused. They'd fallen into a troubled sleep after the revelations of last night and he certainly wouldn't have anticipated this!

But his confusion had quickly faded as she had pounced on him as soon as he was halfway awake, sliding on to him in one delicious stroke.

Now, he'd be hard pressed to remember his own name, her passion so total, so ferocious. Oh gods, he's getting close, too soon! He starts to panic and closes his eyes, desperately picturing anything other than the utterly debauched image of Rey bouncing on his cock. Her perfect breasts, heaving so nicely, her gorgeous lips parted and panting for him … this isn't helping.

Then Rey startles him when she snarls viciously, "No! Look at me!"

His eyes fly to hers at her command. She looks nearly feral, her eyes so dark with arousal.

"Don't look away," she orders.

He shakes his head and promises, "Never."

"You, you're mine. You'll always be mine."

Ben nods but she barks, "Say it!"

"I'm yours. Rey, only yours."

"Mine," she purrs.

Oh Force, he can't hold on much longer with the punishing pace she's set. She grinds herself lewdly down on the base of his hardness and his hands fist in the sheets. She feels so damned good, always so tight around him, her walls pulling undreamed of ecstasy from his core.

Even like this, fast, brutal, animal, it's another aspect of their connection; like how their sabers had danced in the snow. It's a different sort of battle, but somehow it's also from the tether between their souls.

"I love you," he cries out, frantically trying to stop the inevitable climb.

Her eyes soften and she slows slightly. But then she leans forward, bracing herself against his chest as she grasps him by the hair at the nape of his neck. "I love you. I will only ever love you." Her voice's possessive rumble belies the tenderness of her words.

She speeds up again and he can't, he can't stop the tide. Then on the down stroke, as she takes him as deeply as it's possible to be from this angle, she bites down on the meat of his shoulder. That's it, he's gone.

He screams out his climax as his back bows, nearly throwing Rey off. Gods, he's coming so hard it's almost violent; his scream turns into a deep, guttural growl and his hand slams down on the bed.

His lungs can't get enough oxygen and little points of light dance around Rey's profoundly satisfied face.

"Yes," she hisses. "Give it to me."

Her hungry expression and final twist of her hips pulls one last burst from him and he gasps in shock.

"All of it, it's mine. Just like you."

When he can finally speak, he confirms, "Yes, just like me." Pulling her down, he wraps her in his arms and asks, "What was that about?" Soon he'll have her crying out his name, but first he has to make sure she's alright. This was unusually … forward of her.

Rey shrugs and smiles coyly. "Did you like it?"

"Gods, Rey, I've never come so hard in my life. Yes, I liked it. But … you've never been so … uhm, forceful before."

"I just … I was thinking about how close I came to losing you, that it's not even remotely over yet, and I … I needed to make you mine, in every way I could."

"Well, there's no doubt about that." He almost reminds her about their marriage, but he knows that for Rey, they're completely sealed together already.

"You're sure you didn't mind?"

"Oh, no. I hope you'll do it again. Or maybe I'll have to turn the tables," he says, leering. He's been a bit cautious about letting himself go to that place, a little afraid of the violence that still lives inside of him. But now that's she's crossed that line for them, he's eager to discover more and more with Rey.

"Mmm, I'd like that," she says pulling herself off of him.

She's shifting to his side when he says, "Oh, no, precious girl. I have plans for you."

Without wasting a moment he hauls her up his body.

Making a little squeal of surprise, she exclaims, "What-"

"I want to try something different," is all he offers as he continues to maneuver her. "Sit up, put your knees on either side of my head."

"Uhm, okay," she says, sounding a bit shy. While she'd been in total control and a creature of lust and instinct she'd been full of confidence, but now her eyes flash with caution.

"Wait, you want me to-"

"Sit on my face, Rey. Let me take care of you. Brace your hands on the wall." One of the particularly detailed books had suggested that.

Before she moves from sitting on his chest, she looks at him inquisitively. "Where did you learn about this?"

Right now, he has no wish whatsoever to explain about his books, so he grabs her by her bottom and pulls her gorgeous sex to his hungry mouth. The quick movement makes her lose her balance and she's forced to catch herself with the wall. If she'd just listened to him …

But then they're both focused entirely on what Ben's doing with his tongue. This … this is delectable, a whole new feast of sensation. Gravity pulls her clit down, making it much easier to latch on and suck.

Their mingled desire covers his chin and there's something about this position that makes him feel engulfed entirely by Rey. All he can taste is Rey, all he can smell is Rey, all he can see is Rey.

Humming happily, he finds her preferred rhythm and loses himself to the cadence of her moans and cries of bliss.

She was already close when he started and he's almost disappointed when she starts to get louder, her hips pushing down on his face, seeking more friction. Ben had wanted this to last. But, he responds to her urging by pressing more firmly with his tongue and her thighs begin to close around his ears.

Nearly as excited as she is, his belly twists in pleasure.

"Ben, I'm so close. Oh sweet mother of-oh, oh, oh, Ben!" she wails as she shatters all over his face.

Yes, yes, yes … He slows, gentling his laps so that it's not too intense as she rides out her orgasm, rocking herself against his tongue. He loves how much she can participate this way. Oh yes, they will revisit this.

Grasping her by the waist, he helps her take her place at his side. Once she's nestled into him, he swipes his mouth with his hand regretfully. He rather likes being covered in them, but he wants to kiss her.

She beats him to it, kissing him long and tenderly. "Ben, that was amazing. Seriously, where do you get all these ideas?"

Sighing, Ben accepts Rey just always has to know. So he admits, "I read. A great deal. Both academic texts as well as more … practical instructions. There may have also been a holo, or two."

Rey grins at him. "You read books to find out how to … uhm …"

"Look after you properly? Yes, I did. Just because I hadn't been with anyone didn't mean I had to resign myself to being completely inept," he says a touch defensively.

"Well you clearly don't need to worry about that," she says emphatically.

"Does that mean I please you?" he asks in a teasing tone.

"Gods, Ben, how can you even ask that? You make my eyes cross multiple times a day."

Ben preens under her praise and thinks that at least he doesn't need the Force for that!

Rey yawns and Ben realizes he has no idea what time it is so he checks the chrono, finding it very early in the morning. They could get another few hours of sleep. Then he cringes.

"You realize we probably woke up the whole corridor?"

Rey just shrugs. "Right now I honestly don't care." Her eyes are drooping and he gathers her close, kissing her temple.

"Sleep, my love."

"Mmmhmmm," she acknowledges, already halfway there.

Her even breathing brings him along with her in minutes.


"Look who managed to make it to breakfast on time!" Poe teases. "Trouble in paradise?"

Before Ben can formulate a response, Tazzy guffaws. "No, trust me. If hearing this one bellow 'Rey' in the middle of the night—over and over and over again—is any indication, everything is just fine. I thought they'd scream the whole ship down."

"I told you they'd heard us," Ben grumbles into Rey's ear.

But instead of embarrassed, Rey looks speculative. "Interesting … you aren't quartered in our section. But Captain Raan is," she says pointedly.

Tazzy grins widely. "Huh, well isn't that a coincidence."

"Uh huh," Rey responds, looking a tad smug.

Ben is just grateful that Raan hasn't appeared at breakfast thus far. He suspects the reserved captain would be mortified to have her personal life fodder for conversation. He can empathize.

"Well, now that we've all had our fun, perhaps we should actually eat. We have a great deal to accomplish today."

Word had travelled fast once he'd updated Shree and TL on the horrific state of the remnants of the First Order and Analyst Bast is already compiling data from all of their new allies in an attempt to find a trail to their location.

The Coalition's hope is to track them down quickly and end this with a decisive battle. They're outmanned and outgunned. The only advantage Samuel Bren has is brutality; he'll be willing to take steps that the Coalition will not. It's Ben's greatest concern, that this reprehensible splinter will do something grotesque before they find them.


"Hey, kid!" Lando strides onto the bridge, his swagger and charming grin on display as always.

"Welcome back, Lando. How was your trip?" Thankfully, Rey is with Kes, working on details for their upcoming sojourn to Jakku.

"Uneventful and a grand success." Lando looks around and smiles conspiratorially when he finds Rey isn't there. "I'd forgotten just how gorgeous they are. Where do you want them delivered?"

Ben checks the time. He has just under two hours until Rey will be finished with her planning meeting. Perfect!

"Our quarters. Actually, I'll oversee it myself." Even with the difficult news of the state of the remnants of the First Order, he's still impossibly excited to see the look on her face when she sees the collection. She might not have much experience with finery, but he'd noticed how she'd softly smile to herself when his mother would dress her up.

For a moment, Ben's eagerness fades as it hits him that his mother won't be at their wedding. He has to push away the reason for his father's absence.

"What is it, Ben?" Lando asks in that oddly perceptive way that he has.

"I just … I was thinking about my mother … and my father."

Lando sucks in a long breath and lays a supportive had on his shoulder. "I may not go in for that Force business, and I know you're just like the rest of us now, but … I do believe they're with you, right now. They love you, they always will. And when you make an honest woman out of your girl, they'll be watching. Your old man'll probably cry. He was a sucker for weddings."

Ben's brows go up swiftly. He'd never seen his father cry. Lando chuckles at his stunned expression.

"Oh, yeah. Big ole softie, your dad. He used to blame your mother for his romance holonovels."

"Those were his?" Ben exclaims.

"Every single last one of 'em." The amusement bleeds out of Lando's eyes leaving a deep sorrow. "I can't pretend to know what it's like for you … with what you did. And I won't lie and say that I forgive you. Some things are just outside of forgiveness. But I know you. And I knew your dad. I'm as sure as I am that the Falcon is the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy that he wouldn't even think of it in terms of forgiveness. You are his son. That's all that matters."

Lando holds his gaze for a long time, his eyes full of compassion and his words searing into his soul. Can it be so simple? What he did is outside of forgiveness and his father wouldn't see it that way anyway. Han Solo never cared much for morality.

Mirroring Land's position, he places his own hand on the other man's shoulder firmly. "And he is my father."

A slow smile spreads across Lando's face. "There you go, kid. All caught up."

Ben feels like he can take a full breath for the first time since Starkiller.


There's a flurry of activity in their quarters as he instructs workers on unpacking the dresses. While the rooms have an almost stark decor, now they're a riot of color and brilliant jewels. Every imaginable fabric and tone is accounted for and he's certain Rey will find something that pleases her.

His grandmother had been a few inches shorter than Rey, but she'd also been given to wearing high-heeled shoes. While he's seen Rey in dresses before, he's never once scene her wear anything but shoes she can fight in, so he thinks the fit will be just right, as Padme had been quite slim. However, just to be safe, he's requisitioned a tailoring droid.

It's almost time and the workers are nearly finished hanging the gowns. It looks like one of the shops his mother frequented and Ben is rather proud of himself. He's managed to bring a high-end Coruscant boutique to Rey—Maker, he hopes she doesn't think it's too much.

Ushering everyone out so that it will just be Rey and himself, he closes the door and paces nervously. There have been so few opportunities to court her during their strange relationship and he desperately needs to show her with actions how much she means to him; that her happiness is the most important thing to him. He plans on spending their lives together making up for the deprivation of her childhood and this is just the beginning.


When Rey enters their quarters she stands completely still, saying nothing. But her eyes are huge and her lips parted. He stands nervously, waiting for her to say something.

Eventually, she looks at him and shakily asks, "Ben?"

"Hello, sweetheart … these are my grandmother's gowns. I thought … I thought you might like to pick one. For the wedding."

"These were your grandmother's?" she asks, still seeming nonplussed. Blinking, she continues, "All of these?"

"Yes. My mother saved them … she said she'd hoped to give them to a granddaughter someday, but I know she'd want you to have whatever you like. I know she loved you as much as she would her own daughter."

Completely without warning, Rey bursts into tears and Ben goes to her swiftly, gathering her to him. "Rey, oh, Rey …"

Her fingers curl into his tunic and she sobs, "I just miss her so much."

"I know, my love."

"I-I'd always imagined what h-having a m-mother might be like, and sh-she …"

"She showed you."

Rey nods into his chest and he soothes his hands up and down her back. She cries softly and he just holds her.

Eventually she whispers, "I'm sorry."

"No, don't apologize. I'll always hold you when you cry, remember?"

"I do, I know. I meant … I'm sorry she died saving me."

Quickly, he takes her by the shoulders and shifts her so that he can look into her eyes. "No. Never apologize for that. Never again. That was my mother's choice and we can't take that from her. She knew … she knew that you were, you are, my future. She will always be my mother, but you are the other half of my soul."

"But, she might be alive if-"

"No, Rey. Don't do this. It happened. My mother died as she lived, fighting for the greater good. Let us honor her, not drown in guilt."

"I just wish … I wish she was here. We talked about a wedding once, she teased me about taking me dress shopping … so, in a way, I guess she has." Rey's tears have stopped, and she's smiling a small, sad smile.

"Yes, she has. And though we have no parents to share this with, my family will be there the only way they can. I may not be able to feel it, but I know they're here, in the Force. And your family, your chosen family, will be there."

She looks startled for a moment but then she's truly smiling. "You're right. They are my family, aren't they?"

"Yes, they are. Never doubt how loved you are."

"But, you know, don't you? That you're my true family? You, me, and whatever children come. Even if we never have a baby, you're all the family I need."

Ben's throat tightens and he can't speak through the fear he'll be the one to start crying. That's all he's ever truly wanted. To be her family, to heal that wound, to stand by her side and be her support and her protection.

Finally, he's able to cup her face with his hands and breathe out, "Thank you."

She looks at him questioningly.

"To be your family, Rey … I don't even know how to tell you what that means to me, just … thank you." He presses his lips to her forehead and loses himself in her clean scent and warm closeness.

After a moment of silence, Rey murmurs, "You were right, you know."

"Hmm?"

"I'm not alone … you're not alone. Not anymore."

"Never again," he sighs out, wrapping her ever closer.

"Never again."


A/N: Thank you ArtemisBare! She is a speed demon and the dearest of friends.

Thank you Readers! I'm so sorry it's been two weeks since I last updated. It's been a rough couple of weeks but I hope I'm back in my groove. Thank you for sticking with me!