Hey there lovelies! So sorry about the delay. Writer's block is a thing, Sims is very distracting, I accidentally got obsessed with TikTok, I've been DRUNK, and just generally awful so hey hi hello I'M BACK BITCHES. Hope you all enjoy it :)

Chapter Fourteen

Ben was not there when she awoke. She had not expected him to be, but she had hoped. Her heart was heavy with the events from the day before.

Rey kicked herself for not hearing him come in. It still wouldn't have been easy, but the conversation would have gone a lot smoother had it not come to light the way it did. She would have been able to explain things better without the heightened emotions.

She poked around the Falcon for awhile, knowing there had to be a stash of food portions somewhere. Her stomach was growling by the time she found them, tucked away in a forgotten compartment. Once it was prepared, she took a bite and scowled in disgust. She did not miss having to eat that junk. It was all that she had available to her as a child, and what she had relied on while she had gone searching for Ben.

Once she was finished with her breakfast, she busied herself with tidying up the ship. It hadn't been flown in several years, and had only been boarded by herself since. It had grown dusty in that time, and she figured it would be a good distraction for her. Besides, it seemed as if she was going to be staying there for awhile while the air settled.

She found all sorts of strange things while she worked. Clothes for all sorts of shapes and sizes of beings, broken weapons, random parts, tons and tons of cobwebs. It had probably been decades since the ship had had a full cleaning.

"It's looking good," a voice said behind her a few hours into her work.

She whipped around, her heart pounding in her chest. It was only Ben. "You startled me," she said, her hand moving to her chest.

He chuckled softly, stepping forward to put his arms around her. "I was worried about you. I tried to stay as long as I could last night, but the connection faded shortly after you fell asleep."

"It's okay. Thank you for being there," she said softly.

"That was my old room we were in, wasn't it?" he asked, tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear.

She nodded. "That's where I was when I finally was able to break through to you. I could feel your presence the most in that room."

He smiled, resting his hand on the side of her neck, his thumb tracing along the edge of her jaw. "That makes sense. I thought it had looked familiar."

She leaned into his touch, warmth filling her as the sadness disappeared from her mind. "I didn't know where else to go. Poe was so upset. Everybody is going to hate me."

"How could they hate you? Give them time." He closed the distance between them, pressing a tender kiss to her lips. "I don't care what they think of us, Rey. I will always be here, no matter what. They could never scare me off. You're stuck with me forever."

Rey laughed softly. "You say that like it's a bad thing."

"It could be. What if you get sick of me?" he questioned playfully, pressing kisses along the side of her face.

"I can assure you, that's not going to happen," she promised.

A week had passed, and she was still tucked away in the woods. Everyone needed their space from her while they processed everything.

She and Ben spent as much time together as they could, but the Force didn't always cooperate. He had even prepared a meal for the two of them that he was able to pass to her through the connection. Those few days were a nice taste of what the future held for them.

When he was not around, things got dark for Rey. She was left alone with her thoughts, her anxieties. The idea of never having her family again terrified her, filling her with dread. She knew it wasn't ever going to be the same, she only hoped that they would grow to accept it and forgive her for keeping quiet about everything.

It was mid afternoon, and she was making minor repairs to the ship, when she felt someone approaching. She could sense who it was, but couldn't believe it. She hurried to the hatch, and opened it to reveal Finn, the corner of his lips lifted in a hesitant half smile.

They made eye contact and she stilled, her breath catching in her throat. She didn't know what to do, or what to say. But his presence was warm, and he was relieved at the sight of her.

"Rey," he said after a moment as he closed the distance between them with quick strides. To her surprise, he enveloped her in a big hug. She stood frozen for a moment, shocked and confused by the gesture, before returning the hug. She buried her face against him, squeezing him tight. Grateful tears appeared before she could stop them

"Finn, I can't believe you're here," she murmured into the crook of his neck.

"I'm still not okay with the idea of him, but I've missed you, Rey. I don't want it to come between our friendship," he told her, pulling back to look at her. "...And Rose may have talked some sense into me."

She laughed as she wiped the tears from her face.

"She made me really think about what I would do for her, and for true love," he told her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. They moved inside and took a seat at a table across from each other. He held her hand on the surface between them. "You know, before Rose, I thought that was you, Rey. I had never seen someone so strong and independent, so graceful and full of hope. You were the most incredible person I had ever met. You still are."

Rey's lower lip trembled, and she gave his hand a squeeze. "Finn, you are too kind."

"No, I'm serious. Where would any of us be without you?" He leaned forward, gazing deep into her eyes. "You fought for us, for our future. Shit, you even died for us. And I guess what I'm really trying to say is… You deserve the whole galaxy, Rey, and all the happiness that you could possibly have. And if that's what Kylo...I mean Ben is for you, then who am I to say you can't have that?"

She pulled him across the table into a hug. "Thank you, Finn. You have no idea how relieved I am to hear you say that. I love you."

He kissed her cheek as they pulled apart. "I love you, too, Rey."

They sat in silence for a moment until Rey said, "How is Poe?" It was hard for her to ask, but she needed to know.

Finn shrugged, frowning. "Honestly, he's a wreck. He's been staying with us. He said he couldn't be in that house surrounded by all the memories of you."

Rey sighed, her gaze falling to her lap. "I really messed up, didn't I?"

He moved to crouch beside her, setting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Rey, we all make mistakes. He will come around. It won't be today, it probably won't be tomorrow, but he will. He may be upset, but he does really care about you and your happiness."

She smiled sadly, touching his cheek. "I know he does. Thank you, Finn."

"Any time, Rey. But I should probably get going. Rose and I will come visit you until things settle down with Poe," he promised as they stood and headed for the door. He turned to look at her. "Also, I would like to speak with Ben at some point in the near future."

Her eyes widened and she shook her head. "I-I don't think…"

"I said what I said," he said firmly, but with a reassuring grin. He gave her a hug and kissed her cheek. "I will be by tomorrow, if that's okay with you. We haven't trained in weeks, and I'm getting rusty."

Rey nodded and gave him a smile. "I would love that. Goodbye, Finn. Give Rose my love."

"Will do. See you tomorrow, Rey."

She watched him until he was out of sight before closing the hatch.