She's pretty sure she's bitten her nails to the quick. She's never been one for nervous tics but today, especially, she can't seem to keep still. She squirms in her seat. She sighs. She gets up to pace.

The others are watching her. She can feel their eyes on her.

Rose finally stands and tugs at her sleeve. "Rey?"

She starts and looks down at her friend. There's tension there too, worry. She can see it in the new lines around her mouth. When did she get those, anyway? Rose has always been the hopeful one of the group, the one who keeps them going when times turn too dark.

"Sorry," Rey murmurs.

Rose shakes her head. "He'll be back soon."

By he, she means Poe. He's been sent on a solo mission to verify the location of the Supremacy. He has a newly-cloaked X-Wing fighter to scout out the area. She knows she's right. She'd seen it inside Ben's head, where the Supremacy drifted in orbit around some mining planet in the Outer Rim. She has no doubt they're stripping the world of all its resources and probably enslaving its people too. That's what the First Order does. Destroyer of worlds, enslaver of people, they care for nothing but gathering more and more power.

She shudders to think of Ben being a part of it, of being back a part of it despite his fighting to get out.

"He's here," she hears someone say and almost as one everyone stops, looks up. She can see the X-Wing coming in for landing, looking no worse for wear. He hasn't been caught. There's that much at least.

It takes Poe little time to leap down from the ship, BB-8 rushing after him. He joins them all in the conference room they've taken to. It's not the whole of the Resistance that's there, but as Rey looks around, she realizes these are the people she's going to make this last stand with. These are the people who are going to help her save Ben, stop Snoke and the First Order.

A shiver goes up her spine.

These people are her family, whether she knows them or not. Grim-faced, the stink of fear and worry about all of them. Any of them could be lost on the next raid, the next attack. The First Order could find them at any time.

All eyes are on Poe as he speaks, helmet still held under one arm. "They're where Rey said they are."

She lets out the breath she didn't realize she was holding. Good. That answers one question. Though the how of what they do next is still fairly prominent.

"There's more," Poe says. His eyes flit to Rey, then to Leia. "Kylo Ren is down on the planet overseeing their activities there."

The room erupts into an absolute fury, shouts of dismay, of anger, of I always knew he wasn't part of us.

Rey sits down heavily.

"I'm sorry, Rey," Poe says. She nods and looks away. She can't take his pitying look.

"I knew he was a traitor to our cause," Finn says.

Rose reaches out a hand to grip him by the shoulder. "Is it possible…" she starts to say.

"No," her sister says, Paige is standing nearby, arms crossed over her chest. She's never trusted Ben. She's been nice enough to Rey when she passes her in the hallway or sees her in the dining room. But she's been more aloof with her ever since Ben had hugged her in front of most of the Resistance.

Rey stands. "No. Please…this isn't Ben."

"But it's Kylo Ren," Finn says, following after her. He grabs onto her arm and she shrugs him off. "I told you he was bad news. I should have known he couldn't change like that."

Rey turns away from him, faces Leia. Han is at her side and there's a deep sadness in his eyes. "We had him," she hears him whisper, and his arm goes around Leia.

"Wait!" Rey shouts, stepping over to them. "This isn't Ben." She reaches out a hand to Leia, to Han. "You know that. This is Snoke. Ben didn't want to go with them." Her whisper is fervent. Leia finally looks at her and nods.

And then Rey turns to the rest of the room, takes a deep breath. She's not the sort to speak up or take the lead, usually prefers to blend into the background. Do her part, but not be the lead. Yet here…now. She's the only one who's going to fight for Ben.

And so she claps her hands.

And everyone stops talking and looks at her.

She can see Luke standing off to the side, expression serene, but then one side of his mouth quirks up and he nods. Just once.

"This isn't what you think it is," she says, her quiet voice sounding like thunder in the silence of the room. One person starts to speak, and she holds up a hand. "Ben Solo is a victim." She takes a shuddering breath. "He's had Snoke in his mind since he was a child. He's a parasite who preyed on Ben's feelings of neglect."

Poe takes a step toward her and it takes everything in her to not step back. There's a fire in his eyes and she knows…she knows…he's hoping to be the one to take out Kylo Ren. "How can you say such a thing?" She flinches at the strident tone to his voice. "You have to know who…

Rey feels the anger flit through her veins like fire. She leans toward him, offering him the same glare he's giving her. She starts to say something, no idea what is even going to come out of her mouth, when Leia speaks up. "She's right."

Her voice sounds tired.

"General?" Poe asks.

"Stand down, Commander Dameron." Leia shakes her head. Poe takes a step back, crosses his arms over his chest. "Rey is right," she reiterates. "My son has been trapped into going back to Snoke."

"Trapped." Poe's voice is flat. "General, I…"

Leia holds up a hand and he falls silent. "He gave his life for Rey's," she says quietly.

And oh kriff, here it all comes. The questions, the why would he? What is she to him?

Poe's eyes move to Rey. She feels a bit like a bug under a microscope as he stares at her. She has to resist her natural inclination to squirm a bit at the scrutiny.

"Why?" is all Poe asks.

Finn steps forward, comes to stand close by him. He gives Poe a look and then nods at Rey. "I think we deserve to know."

Their eyes are hard, their voices flinty. Rey looks over at Leia, bites her lip. But neither she nor the general need to say anything. Another steps up, putting her hand on Finn's arm.

Rose.

Her face is soft.

She knows. She's known for what feels like forever, has known about Rey's mixed-up feelings for the former dark side apprentice, has known she went to him most nights. She caught her once, returning in just her nightclothes, feet bare, and no doubt looking thoroughly debauched. She knows. And more so, she approves. Rose has been the one bit of sanity in all of this for Rey, the one anchor she knows she can go to, talk to, who will dispense calm advice and a hug when needed.

"He loves her," Rose says, and there's a small smile playing about her lips. "Surely you all must know that by now."

Rey swallows hard. They're all watching her, waiting for her. "And I love him," she finally says. She's surprised at how clear her voice is.

Someone puts their hand on her shoulder, and she turns to find Han standing there. He's been quiet through all of this, his mouth set in a grim line. She hasn't been able to discern his feelings at all, so she's surprised at the small half-smirk on his face. It resembles Ben's so strongly that she feels it like a punch to the gut. "Good for you, kid. I'm glad someone does." He shrugs then. "I guess this is welcome to the family."

"We're not out of the woods yet," Leia says. "Not by a long shot." She turns back to the group. "Now everyone sit down. We have plans to make."

"How you holding up, kid?"

Rey glances up to see Han Solo standing in front of her table, tray loaded with food in hand. She shrugs. "You're not going to eat all of that, are you?"

He gives a small huff of a laugh and sits in front of her. "Nope. You are."

"I…"

"You're wasting away," he says, picking up one of the pieces of fruit and setting it down in front of her. It's small and delicate, a strange mix of purple and pink. It also happens to be her favorite. When she gives him a sharp look, he just smirks. "I notice these things."

She takes the fruit from him and bites into it, letting the flavors burst over her tongue. It tastes, she thinks, a bit like a rainbow would taste. Bright, a mix of sweet and tart that is just right. "This world really does have amazing foods."

Han nods. "Ben always thought so too."

They fall silent after Ben's name is brought into things. Ben…kriff, she didn't know she could miss someone this much. She can still feel him, faintly, in the Force, but it sometimes feels like one of her limbs has been cut off. There's this strange phantom pain where the bond rests.

"Do you…" she starts to say, clears her throat. "Do you think we have a chance?"

"Hell, if I know, kid."

"I feel like everything is working against us." She hates the way the despair creeps in. Some days she feels strong, capable, but then she thinks of Ben with his head bowed as Snoke's men take him, sees him beaten and bloody, chained to a wall. And she wonders if there's any hope.

"It may very well be," Han says, and then he leans forward. "But you can't think of that. It'll cripple you. If I worried about the odds, I wouldn't be here today."

She knows what he's talking about. For a moment, she's back there, watching Kylo Ren face off against his father. One wrong move and it could have ended badly. Kylo Ren could have killed Han Solo, run him through with his lightsaber and let him fall that fateful day. But Han had taken the risk, had gone out to meet his son in a place so rife with danger, that even now she can still feel the tang of it on her tongue.

"I worry about the odds a lot."

Han offers her a small smile. "Love does that to people."

"I suppose," she murmurs. "I've never loved anyone before."

"Kid told me about your parents," Han ventures and Rey draws in a sharp breath.

"Did he?"

"Well, he told me what he knows."

Rey shrugs at that. "There's not much to tell there, really. They left me on Jakku. I was five. They never came back." What more is there to tell, really? She's long since given up hope of their coming back, of finding them. It's a huge galaxy out there and they could be anywhere.

"You've given up hope."

She has to think about that. Has she? No, it's more than that. It's not so much that she's given up on the family she never knew but has found the family that perhaps she was meant to be. "No," she finally says. "I've found my family." She gives Han a hard look. "And I don't intend to lose part of it. Not to Snoke."

Han stands then, leans over to somewhat awkwardly clap her on the shoulder. He reminds her a bit more of his son then, strangely stiff and graceless in his movements. "Good. Keep that hope, kid. We're gonna need it."

She nods, and then he's gone, leaving the large heaping of food he'd brought in front of her. He's right. She knows he is.

They need hope.

That they can get Ben back.

That they can win.

That the First Order and Snoke can be vanquished once and for all.

They have a plan.

Well, no. They have the outline of a plan.

They've been spending far too much time arguing about it in meetings. Luke wants to use subterfuge, use Snoke's tricks against him. Challenge him while not being there. But he's not talking of a mere hologram. He's talking about Force projection, and while Rey doesn't know much about the Force, not like Luke does, she's gleaned enough from the texts he keeps in his room to know that what he proposes is dangerous, possibly even life-threatening.

Leia disagrees with him, and that's that. She won't go forward with Luke's plan. Rey watches as the twins exchange looks that are more than fondness. There's an understanding and a deep abiding love and respect that she finds herself envious of.

Sometimes she wonders if she has a sibling, somewhere, out there in the universe. Did her parents leave just one child, take another? They're thoughts she has to banish, has to push side before they become obsessive.

Poe wants to rush in with guns blazing. There's fire in his eyes as he suggests his plan. One final push. Take the whole fleet and rush in on the First Order. Bomb them, take out as many ships as possible. And finally take out the Supremacy, but only after Rey and her team have managed to get off the ship.

It's risky.

It's probably a terrible plan.

But then she remembers Han's If I worried about the odds, I wouldn't be here today, and she thinks, maybe, that it's their best shot. Certainly the entire might of the Resistance coming at the First Order at once might be just the distraction needed to get in to take out Snoke.

"I think it's a good plan," she hears herself saying. The words are out almost before she's even aware of them, and all eyes are on hers.

Including Poe's. "Really?" The surprise in his voice almost makes her laugh.

"We may be smaller than the First Order, but the surprise will keep them off-kilter."

The room explodes into a cacophony. She can hear snippets of arguments from some people, can hear shouts of agreement from others.

Some sound downright excited about it. She can see them wanting to go now. There's still more planning, even for a plan as crazy as this one. But she feels the excitement in the room as the shouts reach a fever pitch.

And then Leia holds up her hand and the room quiets almost immediately. Rey narrows her eyes, and Leia glances her way for a moment. There's a small smirk on her face and not for the first time, Rey realizes that Leia has more control over the Force than she gives on. She may not study it, she may not wield a lightsaber or meditate over the Jedi texts, but the Force is so strong in her that she uses it all the time.

And more, she's aware of that use.

When Rey looks at Luke, he's smirking alongside his sister. He's taught her everything she knows, Rey is sure of it. There are secrets between the Force-bonded twins that others may never know.

She's surprised that there's not that familiar pang of jealousy hitting her like it so often does. She just feels…settled…at that moment. She enjoys their exchange without feeling left out. It's a good feeling.

You're home, she realizes, looking around at these people. They're her family, come hell or highwater. She will defend them with everything she is.

"With the addition of the Chandrillan fleet, we're looking good against the First Order," Leia says. "And they're pulling in more allies who will meet us at the rendezvous site."

"You mean we have a chance," Finn says, and there's a bit of awe in the words.

"We do," Leia says. And Rey sees her draw herself up tall. "We bring this fight to them." The words are not just said to Finn. They carry throughout the room. "They wanted it. They're going to get it. And they won't expect us." She steps away from Han, from Luke, and Rey watches as she takes in the whole of the room with her sweeping gaze. "They think we're small. They think we're weak."

Rey watches as some nod. One man shouts, "We're not weak!" And that gets a chuckle out of the group.

"No, we're not. We have ships and ammunition. We have people who care. And that is more important than anything else. We're not doing this to defeat the First Order." A murmur goes through the crowd. "I know what you're all thinking. Why else would we be doing this? Remember why we fight, my friends, my family. We fight for ourselves. We fight for those we love. Not against those we hate."

Finn steps forward then and faces the group. "Some of those you come against may have once been your comrades." She knows he's looking specifically at the Stormtroopers they rescued during their last unsuccessful attempt to take out Snoke. Many had, after much confusion, joined with Finn. He'd once been a traitor, but now they were too. And she could easily tell which men and women were connecting with Finn through their common trauma. They stood a little taller when he spoke, as if gravitating to him as their leader. "It's not going to be easy. Remember where you came from, remember you can't hate these people. They were kids too, once, stolen away from their families and turned into mindless machines."

A few still were, hidden away in cells on Chandrila, waiting until they could possibly help them with their trauma. Finn was determined to fight for them all. It was a noble thing, to be sure, and Rey wished her friend the best of luck.

"This is war," Leia says, the words soft. "But don't let it make monsters of you. Not like it has those in the First Order."

And she knows, without the words being spoken, that she's thinking of her son. He'd once been the monster, the masked and faceless monster that so many feared. She had never heard the name Kylo Ren before that day on Jakku when she escaped with Finn, when she heard of his obliterating villages as he looked for one small droid who had the means to destroy everything he stood for. She had never seen him before he came hunting her in the forests of Takodana, deflecting every blaster shot with terrifying ease.

He'd been everything her worst nightmares had shown her.

And she had seen him there, so long ago, in her nightmares. A towering figure coming for her, red lightsaber crackling in the pouring rain. But sometimes she wonders if he had been coming for her or defending her. She'd seen him cut down another black-clad masked being, one who looked very much like himself.

And not for the first time she wonders if there was symbolism there. Ben Solo striking down Kylo Ren, becoming who he was truly meant to be, becoming the person he had abandoned, left behind.

Had they been bonded back then too? In some small way? Have they always been bonded?

She shakes her head and comes to as Leia wraps up her encouraging speech. "Now, go get some sleep everyone. Tomorrow we end this once and for all."

The room erupts in cheers.

Rey looks around at everyone she has come to see as family, and wonders who will be there the next evening. Who will be celebrating? Who will be mourning?

It's a sobering thought and with a quick nod to Leia and Han, she slips away. There's much she needs to do in preparation for her role in this the next day, much she has to do to make sure she has the mental fortitude to see this through to the end.

She will get back Ben. No matter what happened, she will.

She will not stop until Snoke is dead and Ben Solo is back at her side where he belongs.