Hey Guys, my goal is to update this story bi-weekly on Tuesdays. If I fall behind, please tell me so in the reviews and I'll get my butt in gear. I've got like two planners and one of them is strictly for me planning out what days I'll work on which stories. So, here's hoping the productivity continues.

Rey had left Master Luke to develop a training course for her and decided that she should see Finn. Although Poe was wrong about Ben, his outburst earlier had convinced her that she should at least tell one of her best friends about it all. She could only hope that somehow he'd understand. She wasn't asking for his forgiveness for falling in love, just that he'd understand that she had and that everyone deserved a second chance. It was with that hope in mind that she took a deep breath before knocking on the door to his room.

"It's open!" she heard him call from inside. She hesitantly opened the door, checking to see if Poe was there, too. Thankfully, he wasn't. She walked in and sat on the bed across from his.

"Rey! I was hoping you'd stop by today. I know you're probably busy with training and everything, but I wanted to catch up with you. Tell me all about Master Luke. Is he everything everyone says he is? Do you feel like his greatness is rubbing off on you?" Finn asked excitedly.

Rey thought back to the times where Master Luke threw his lightsaber into the ocean and was a giant broody mess on occasion that she couldn't get a read on. "He's something else, that's for sure... But, that's not why I'm here," she stated.

"Is it about whatever Poe was yelling about this morning?" Finn asked.

"When did you get so perceptive? I thought all you bucket-heads were supposed to be inept at socialization, which was why you were given numbers and forced to wear helmets to avoid eye contact," Rey chuckled.

"Hey- I'm a former bucket-head," Finn smiled before getting serious, "But, really. I've never seen Poe so worked up. What was it about?"

"Promise me that you won't hate me," Rey ventured.

"Rey, I could never hate you," Finn said sincerely.

"I-may-have-fallen-in-love-with-Ben-Solo-and-now-he's-going-to-help-us-take-down-the-first-order-from-inside," Rey ran together.

Finn took in a deep breath, letting the information really sink in. "Well, I'm happy you found love, but are you sure it's with the right person? I mean, he killed Han Solo! Not to mention, countless others. He's a real..." Finn paused, searching for the right word before settling on, "monster, Rey. Are you sure you want to be tied to that?"

"You don't know him like I do," Rey sighed.

"Well, then enlighten me," Finn challenged.

"You're serious?"

"As serious as General Organa when Poe does something stupid and goes off half-cocked," Finn said.

"Well, for starters I knew him when I was little..." Rey started. She recounted her childhood to Finn, selectively telling him about her adventures with young Ben Solo. Then, she moved on to tell him about the dream encounters and how their trust started to grow. She even told him about the plan to take down the First Order. But, most of all she told him about her fears.

"I'm just scared, Finn. I'm scared that all anyone will ever see when they look at him is a monster. I don't want him to have to live like that," she sighed.

"You're right to be worried. However, has anyone here, besides ya know, a select few, seen him without his helmet on?" Finn ventured.

"Finn. Everyone knows that Kylo Ren is the General's son. Even if they haven't seen him without the helmet, they would be able to connect the dots eventually. Besides, it's not like we can just wash away all the harm he's caused. I know he'll have to do something to atone for his sins. I just don't want him to go through it alone."

"What do you think his sentence would be?" Finn asked.

"I don't know. Most war criminals would be killed if they had done half of the things he has, but he's also the son of some very powerful people. That can spare his life, but I doubt it would save him from all the punishments."

Finn sat there for a second, tapping his chin, "what if you did the force thing on everyone that meets him and told them that he isn't bad and that people should like him?"

"First of all, that would get old so fast. Secondly, he'd hate that. He'd never know if people actually liked him or if they only liked him because I told them to. What do you think should happen to him, Finn? You've experienced Kylo Ren first hand. What do you think Ben Solo deserves as a punishment?" Rey asked.

"Honestly, if you hadn't told me any of this, I'd hope that someone would kill him or that he'd rot in a jail cell. However, hearing what you've said, about everything past and present, I think that he should be sent to live his life on one planet that he would not be allowed to leave, unless with permission from whoever is in charge after this mess gets sorted. While on that planet, I think he should do everything he can to give back to that planet. Hell, I'd say you two should open up a school for force sensitives, but we all know what happened the last time there was a school for Jedi."

"Wait. That's not a bad idea. We could teach different skills. However, instead of teaching that their are two polar opposites schools, we find a middle ground. The Jedi were afraid of attachment, and the Sith only dealt with negative emotions. What if... what if we taught people to use the force for love? And taught them ways to handle their negative emotions in a way that wouldn't hurt other people?" Rey smiled.

"I think that could work. I think that the two of you together balance each other out. And, if he loves you as much as you clearly love him, then Uncle Finn might stick around to help out with the young ones, whether they are yours or belong to someone else," Finn winked.

"Finn, you're taking this a lot better than I thought you would, if I'm being honest," Rey admitted. Finn leaned over and put his hand on top of hers.

"Rey, I used to work for the First Order. Now I work for the rebellion. If I was given a second chance, I think other people deserve that, too. Poe's just defensive of me because he saw me at my weakest. I appreciate him looking out for me, but he should've known better than to yell at you. He doesn't know my heart, and he doesn't know yours. And he certainly doesn't know Ben's. Don't let Poe get to you."

"How can I not?" Rey sighed. "He's the stuck up and stupidly handsome crown jewel of the rebellion. He's everyone's favorite pilot. He's the golden boy. His opinion matters."

"First of all, I'm going to ignore the fact that you think he's handsome because you're in a relationship and if Ben decided to do that weird force date thing any time soon, I wouldn't want you to get in trouble. Secondly, your opinion matters, too. That's why the General asked for your help and your thoughts. She didn't invite Poe to that initial meeting," he said, looking at her pointedly. "Thirdly, Poe may be everyone's favorite pilot, but he's secretly all mine."

Rey gasped, "I knew it! Was the nurse/patient dynamic secretly a fantasy of his?"

Finn chuckled, "Wouldn't you like to know. But, it's getting late. I'm going to go get some grub, and then I'm going to head to bed. You should do the same since your body still isn't used to this planet's rotation."

Rey nodded. With the day she had, she doubted that she'd have any issues getting to sleep tonight.

Ben had spent the day sparring in his training ring. He needed to make sure that his skills were top notch by the time this battle came around. He couldn't let them down. He couldn't let her down. He knew she would tell him that she didn't need protecting, but he would protect her til the day he died anyway.

Sweat dripped off his brow. He was suddenly aware of how hot the color black made him feel. He used to wear it as a statement, but now it was proving to be a nuisance. Still, he couldn't easily switch his uniform now. That would draw too much suspicion. No, he would have to suffer through the life he had made for himself a little longer. He took a hard look at the lightsaber glowing in his hand. Its power was raw and brash. Flashy for no reason. He could almost laugh, remembering how he made it in rebellion. It had multiple crystals. At the time he naively thought that by possessing more and having the three different prongs it would symbolize his power. Now, it just looked like excess. He shut down his saber and made his way back to his room, shutting the door behind him. Ben proceeded to peel the sweat-drenched clothes from his back and step into a shower, letting the steam engulf him. He thought about his Uncle's saber. It was simple, refined. When he got out of here, his first step would be to make a new one. If they let him make a new one. He slid down against the shower wall. He may not even walk free after all of this, and why should he? He had done terrible, terrible things. He had killed his own father. Ben let out a shaky breath as he thought back to the moment his father fell, lifeless, in front of him. He may not have been around all the time when Ben was growing up, but that was his father. He was the man that taught him how to fly, how to shoot a blaster. He could've been a second father to Rey in another life. Ben hastily rubbed his eyes, feeling the sting of guilt and sadness pricking at the corners. Was he even allowed to mourn the death of a man he killed?

Rey had just walked back into her room when she felt it. At first she couldn't understand the emotion, not having felt it that intensely since she was a young girl, but then she could put a name to it: Grief. It felt like her heart was a brick in her chest. She couldn't breathe. Her chest was tight, and tears spilled from her eyes.

"Ben," she gasped. It took all her energy to power through the pain and find him in her mind's eye. When she found him, he was on the floor of the shower sobbing uncontrollably. Her heart broke.

She reached out and shut the water off before grabbing a towel and wrapping it around him. She sunk down next to him, landing her knees in the pool of water beneath them. She could feel the water slowly absorb into her pants, but she didn't care. She pulled his back against her chest, letting him lean against her.

"It's okay," she whispered, "He loved you, 're allowed to feel."

His sobs slowly died down as she comforted him. He turned to her and looked at her sadly, "You know, I promised you that I would be there for you and yet I can't even be there for myself."

"That's what I'm here for," Rey said, gently poking his cheek before smirking, "although, I must say that I pictured seeing you naked for the first time under different circumstances."

Ben couldn't help but laugh, "Get your head out of the gutter, scavenger. Let me go so I can get dressed. I'll meet you soon."

Rey kissed his cheek, "Don't keep me waiting too long. Who knows what I might get up to if left alone for so long."

Ben shook his head. "See you soon."

"See you soon."