Author's Note: Update and I'm early! Since TROS has been released, I don't feel so bad about a few minor spoilers in my chapters now. I know, this is an extra long chapter so my apologies for the long read. Now you know why I have to split it up into parts! So without further ado...enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not nor have I ever owned Star Wars. I simply play in their world.

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Once upon a time in a galaxy far, far away...

Kylo Ren

"Exegol?"

The drink he lifted to his mouth halts, the liquid still moving because of his shaking hand.

He recovers quickly and takes a sip, lowering the glass with a casual air that might have a fooled another, but not me.

I saw the flicker in his eye, heard the change in his breath and the minute shift in his body.

It seems I was right to come looking for him.

"A myth," he tells me, the bored nonchalance almost convincing, "a nightmare fairytale to frighten younglings before bed. You're wasting your time...and mine."

Anger now on the surface but below...I sense the fear he is trying to hide.

So he is choosing the hard way. Not that I expected differently but I promised Rey this wouldn't take long and I intend to keep that promise.

Slowly I close the airway to his lungs, constrict the breathing so that it does not take effect immediately.

His fingers spasm around the glass and I see the whites of his eyes as he tries to speak.

He has finally noticed.

He turns to me, panic creeping past the shallow anger he showed earlier.

"The Sith," I murmur softly, slowly keeping up the pressure on his lungs, "are not a bedtime story."

The tan of his skin is fading and I know he is close to passing out. I release my hold on his lungs and watch the color rush back into his skin.

I need him awake and alert to answer my question.

"W-what are you?" A small gasp of air as he swallows more alcohol. He moves to signal the barman...only to find he cannot move his arm.

He can drink himself into a stupor but only after I get what I want from him.

"Someone you do not want to make angry and my patience has a limit. You are reaching that limit."

"I don't know where Exegol is."

Rushed words that have a ring of truth. But not entirely. The acrid tang of fear is heavy from him now.

I tap my finger on the bar and once more constrict the airway to his lungs and keep his body immobile.

Only his eyes are allowed to move and they meet mine and I let him see his death reflected in them.

"That is twice you've tried lying to me," I tap the bar and loosen the constriction on his lungs so that he can take in a quick, stilted breath, before I close the airway again, "care to wager with your life if you dare a third?"

Beads of sweat dot his brow and I let the seconds drag on, hear the rasp of his breath before I let him go.

He slumps over the bar and I pin the barman with a simple look as he moves in our direction.

He quickly turns back around and I know that I will not have to worry about interference from him.

"Now that I've given you sufficient time I'll ask only once more; where do I find Exegol?"

If he attempts to lie or to escape...well he is not the only spy to have crossed paths with Darth Vader and I can easily acquire the part that Rey needs.

"There is only...one way to find Exegol."

Rasping words as Anu'ul lifts his head, hatred and fear in his eyes as he rubs his throat.

It seemed he values his life over his secrets. Finally we were getting somewhere.

"I'm listening."

He reaches for his glass...but halts and looks at me first.

He is beginning to learn. I give a brief nod of my head and let him finish the drink.

"A device that...Lord Vader kept. Called a 'Wayfinder'. Supposedly it leads to Exegol."

"How did you come by this information?"

Anu'ul has not let go of his glass, instead he is turning it endlessly in his hands.

"I may have had the...distinction of meeting Lord Vader in my life."

In other words he got caught by my grandfather...and lived to tell about it.

Interesting.

"Where?"

Anu'ul shudders and shoves the glass away from him.

"The abandoned fortress on Mustafar."

"Who else knows about this?"

"No one...that place is abandoned and for good reason. A cult formed after the death of its master and they guard those ruins with a fanaticism few can imagine."

He moves out of his chair and I allowed him the illusion of his freedom, if only for the moment.

Tossing a few credits on the bar, he gives me a wan look, the bravado he showed only earlier gone from him.

"I've told you what you wanted to know. Now if you will excuse me," he shakes his jacket into place, "I have other business to attend to in the city."

I let him get a few steps ahead of me before moving up silently behind him.

We're in the stairwell, away from the eyes of the bar and the main street.

A flick of my fingers and the Force has him immobile for the second time.

Now he can neither run...nor scream.

"You have knowledge that will leave you a walking dead man," I tell him, slowly turning him around to face me, "if I so much as hear a whisper of the word 'wayfinder' on any planet. Conclude your business with the woman and pray, Anu'ul Semorn, that you give me no reason to hunt you a second time."

I could strip his mind, leave him nothing more than a mindless husk in the wake, but Rey has need of him.

So I will let him live.

For now.

I release my hold on him and he stumbles, barely catching himself.

He turns away from me and practically runs up the stairs.

I let him get to the entrance before I call out to him, using only my voice to halt him this time.

"Remember my words."

If you cross me, your life is forfeit and there is nowhere you will be able to hide that I cannot find you.

He shudders and I am certain he will not forget this encounter anytime soon.

"I...yes, of course."

He moves away and I step over the threshold, the sting of a cool breeze across my skin.

"You were right," lilting words touched with feminine amusement and I am already searching for the owner, "that didn't take long."

There, just off to the side, her body hidden in the shadows.

I see Anu'ul turn in her direction and I give him a silent Force shove to keep moving.

Until the seventh bell he no longer has a reason to be near her.

He stumbles away and though he claims to have business elsewhere, I expect treachery from him when we meet up again.

But that is later and my sole focus turns to the woman leaning up against the wall.

Ankles crossed, scarf covering the abundant beauty of her hair and she is staring at her nails, face averted.

Just another woman in a city full of thousands of women.

Even if I didn't know every curve of her face, the gentle lines of her body, I would still know it was Rey.

The scent of sunlight and a single, elusive flower surrounds her. I would know her even if I were blind and mute.

"You didn't leave."

I cannot mask my disbelief as I walk towards her. I had told her to stay but the truth was I had doubted she would listen.

She has such independence about her, a will that bends to no one and perhaps that is why I, like so many others, are drawn to her flame.

She lifts her head at the sound of my approach, that playful smile still on her lips from the bar the only part of her visible from beneath the scarf.

"Well since you asked me so nicely to stay..."

Teasing words with a bite of asperity to them and that is all I hear.

I have her in my arms, claiming her mouth, pushing her against the wall so she cannot escape me.

Her arms around me, the silken feel of her skin as she strokes the back of my neck.

She's trembling in my arms as I press closer, silently demanding she yield to me.

Her mouth opens and I am drowning in the taste of her.

I thought the cave had slacked some of the urgency I felt for her.

I was wrong.

She moans into my mouth, pulling away to take a gasping breath as the scarf slides down, revealing her flushed face.

"Re-"

I want her mouth and I take it, stealing whatever sound she was about to make.

Teeth and tongue, the feel of her body rubbing against mine, driving me closer to the edge of insanity.

Her hands slide from my neck to grip my clothing and then she's twisting beneath me, the curves of her body a startling distraction as presses against me, and then I am the one being slammed against the wall.

She's shoving her leg between mine, using her body as a counterweight and pulls her mouth from mine.

She is gasping for air and so am I but I am not pleased to lose her mouth and a soft growl escapes me.

Amber flame looks back at me and her lips are swollen, the color riding high on her cheekbones.

"As much as I am," she is gasping out the words, still trying to get the breath back I stole from her, "enjoying this we need to talk."

I don't want to talk, I want her back in my arms, where she belongs.

Her legs is already between mine but it is not enough. I slide my hands over the smooth leather of her pants and pull her hard against me.

Her eyes widen but she doesn't let go of my vest and manages to keep some distance between us.

There is lust and stubbornness swirling in those dark depths and I can tell she is serious about wanting to talk. Nothing I say, or do, is going to change her mind.

I lean back against the wall but I will not let her drop her gaze from mine.

"So talk."

"What are you doing here?"

Harsh words full of demand. I cannot help but feel amusement. Rey is the only one I know who would dare make demands of me.

Since I have no intention of telling her about Exegol or the true identity of Praksis, I'll deal with her question another way.

"On a world that has sworn fealty to the First Order?" dry words with a cynical edge, "Do I need a reason to be here?"

A fleeting look of chagrin over her expressive face, quickly followed by suspicion as she narrows those beautiful eyes at me.

"So why is the Supr-mmh!"

I am already covering her lush mouth with my fingers. Despite the fact that it appears we are the only two in the alley, I do not trust that other ears might still be listening.

As I have chosen to come on my own, I do not need her telling anyone that I am the Supreme Leader.

Otherwise the whole point of being here, dressed like this, goes to waste.

"Don't say that title," a warning and a demand, "not here. Nor the name that goes with it."

She pulls her head back, freeing her lips from me and though I could have easily held on, I let her go.

"Fine. I won't say it, Ben." Defiance in her voice as she repeats that name knowing I cannot say anything about it, "Were you looking for Praksis? Is that why you're here?"

I should have known she would not be easily deterred by my vague answer.

So I let my silence speak for itself and let her draw her own conclusions.

She shakes her head in annoyance when she realizes I have no intention of answering.

"Fine, keep your secrets." A sigh in her voice along with a note of sadness and I feel her grip falter, "you obviously got what you came for."

If she thought I was going to let her go so quickly as this...

I take advantage of her distraction and before she can guess my intent, I turn her, pinning her once more beneath me.

"Ben!"

She cannot escape me and now that I know that little trick of hers, she cannot use it again to dislodge me.

Wedging my leg between hers and trapping the other gives me a definite advantage.

She wanted to talk, so we will. Now she can answer a few of my questions.

Although the heat of her body pressed up so intimately against mine is a serious threat to my concentration.

"I know why you're here but I want to know this; are you alone?"

I dig my fingers into her hips as a warning when she begins to squirm, rubbing her body against me as I hold onto my control by frayed inches.

"Why?" Defiance and suspicion in that one word.

I should know better than to expect her to give me a direct answer.

She probably thinks I want to know if any of her Resistance allies are with her.

Another time that might have been correct, but not now.

I have a different reason for wanting to know.

I press into her, so that I can lift my hand and cup her face. I rub my thumb over the smoothness of her skin.

I will never tire of touching her.

"Do you always have to argue with me?" I feel no anger, just annoyance that she can dance around my questions as easily as I do hers.

"Yes," her reply surprises me because there is no hesitation in it, "it's fun."

I can only stare, her answer not one I could have anticipated. Only my Rey would think teasing the Supreme Leader to be 'fun'.

Amusement chases away the annoyance I felt only minutes ago and I lower my head.

To taste her mouth and this 'fun' she speaks so easily of.

Her lips part beneath mine and I allow myself only a brief taste to quell the rage of desire still burning through me.

I lift my head before I give into my darker impulse and the soft growl that leave her mouth is both a delight and torment.

Delight that she is wants my touch, torment that I cannot indulge her more.

"Rey, just answer me." I am growing inpatient with this dance of words between us, "Are you alone?"

I feel her sigh, see her close her eyes to me and lean back.

"Yes, I came here alone."

Soft admission and something akin to happiness swells through me at her response.

She was here, alone, with me.

"Good."

She snaps her eyes back open at the possessive note in my voice that I don't bother to hide.

She is looking at me with mild confusion, a soft tilt of her head before her slender arms wrap themselves around my neck, pulling me closer to her still.

If this is a cage I am more than willing to be her prisoner.

"What about you?" lilting words, her eyes an open invitation, "are you alone?"

"For the time being, yes."

No Knights, no Stormtroopers at my beck and call.

Just myself.

I could see the questions swirling in her gaze and I wondered what she would chose.

The Resistance...or us.

Her next question would decide that.

"So," soft words and I feel her tremble in my arms, "what now?"

She had made her choice with little time between to think about it.

She wanted us, wanted me and it was all I could do not to sweep her up in my arms and take her somewhere private where we could be alone.

But I felt the tremble in her and knew that I could not push too fast.

She might have chosen me, but she was still hesitant.

"You still have time before you need to collect your item."

I kept my voice soft, wrenching my need for her back under iron control.

I see a stain of color across her face and she gives me a rueful look.

"Yeah, about that." A swift breath and she continues, "I don't suppose you can tell me when exactly is the seventh bell?"

If I hadn't clamped down on all my emotions, I would have been tempted to laugh at her confused pleading.

Clearly she hadn't done any further research on this planet except where to meet her quarry.

Even so, I can barely stop my mouth from twitching and she narrows her eyes at me and thumps me on the chest, albeit gently.

"Ben!" Laughter and annoyance in her voice, "don't tease me! Tell me!"

She is the one teasing me, with that laughter in her eyes and I capture her hands before she decides to get violent with me out of sheer pique.

"How could I refuse such an order?" I pull her away from the wall, she has chosen me and there was no need to keep her trapped, "Seventh bell comes at nightfall." She gives me a uncertain look but I wasn't finished, "You won't be able to mistake it."

The bells in the city were loud and rather obnoxious but unmistakable. They rang in the morning and evening times without fail.

Rey lifts her head to study the sky and I see a dour look on her face as she realizes it barely past mid-morning.

"Great," soft words that she seems to be muttering to herself, "so what do I do in the meantime?"

"I might have a solution for that."

She glances up at me, surprise on her face and I think she did not mean for me to hear her words but I chose to answer them nonetheless.

Wide-eyes and the tremble in her body is more noticeable now.

"Oh," a tell-tale wobble in her voice that speaks of her nervousness, "what's that?"

She has such expressive eyes that I don't even need to guess what she is thinking.

Considering that I have made no attempt to hide the fact that I desire her with everything that I am, it is no wonder she has jumped to that particular thought.

But I can feel her trembling and I will not push her when she is still uncertain about us.

When she trembles in my arms, it will be with open desire, not uncertainty.

"Have you ever toured an open market in a city?"

From the various reports I've gathered over the few weeks it appears the city holds open gatherings every day in a certain part of the city.

I doubt there were such places on Jakku and even less time with the Resistance.

I can tell my words were not was she was expecting because she is blinking at me with open confusion.

"W-what?"

I have never seen her so off-balance and it is rather endearing. Some of what I must have been thinking showed on my face because she is narrowing her eyes at me again.

"No I haven't...why?"

Curiosity but with none of the suspicion she normally levels at me.

I release only one of her hands, the other is mine to keep.

"Would you like to?"

I want to spend time with her, I want her to want to spend time with me. Not as the Supreme Leader, not as Kylo Ren, the Jedi Killer.

Just...Ben.

She is looking at our clasped hands and there are too many emotions playing across her face for me to interpret.

Finally she looks up at me and I feel the punch of her gaze as something grabs hold of me.

Something I had thought long ago abandoned.

Hope.

"With you?"

Hope, that fragile creature that fanned the flames with its wings, grew stronger with her words.

"Yes," I tell her, feeling amused that she even had to ask, "with me."

An open grin on her face now as she closes her fingers around mine more securely.

"Lead the way then."

It was easy to navigate the city and I soon had us where we needed to be. The sun was moving lazily through the sky when we emerged through the last street.

The market was well underway, the vendors setting up since dawn and the streets already crowded with people.

"Wow," I heard the wonder in her voice as Rey takes the lead, keeping her hand in mine, "it really is a market."

Everything seemed to catch her eye we moved down the main path, her head whipping back and forth, trying to take everything in at once.

"Where do we start?" Excitement in her voice as she looks up at me, her eyes glowing with their own light.

"Anywhere you want."

I have never seen her like this. There was no hesitancy, no shadows that dimmed her light.

She was enthralling and I was more than happy to let her lead so long as it kept that light in her eyes.

"I-"

Her voice was drowned out from what I thought was thunder except it was far too low...and coming from Rey.

The fact that loud of a noise from such a tiny woman made me blink in surprise...and amusement.

She looked up at me and I saw the trace of red spread across her face as she pressed a hand to her stomach.

"When was the last time you ate?" I asked mildly, promising myself I was going to feed her until she fell into a stupor.

There was a scent in the air that smelled like food.

"I-"

Another growl, louder than the last and I felt my stomach make itself known, loudly, that it too required food.

Rey looking at my stomach, her eyes holding the same look I must have.

I can see the grin already forming on her face and feel the heat rising off of mine.

Why it whenever I want to impress this woman everything seems to go wrong.

"About the same time as you."

I can hear the laughter in her voice and I have to turn away.

I am a Sith warrior, I should not be embarrassed by a simple sound.

Except it is Rey, who has the odd habit of making me feel like a stumbling Padawan around her.

"Mmm...where is that coming from?"

It would seem the scent of food has distracted her and I use that distraction to tug on her hand, once more taking the lead.

"This way," I tell her, demanding my stomach to behave itself around her, "we should get some food first."

I dare not look back at her, least I see her laughing and lose what little dignity I have left.

"Sure," mirth in her voice and I heave a silent sigh, "let's go."

It would appear that we are not the only ones searching for food. There is a small line where that distinctive smell is coming from and I see some kind of meat on a skewer being coated in a dark sauce.

"What is that?"

She sound far too excited about this.

"Some local dish I would imagine."

She turns her eyes up to me, bright with amusement.

"Ever eaten it before?"

As if I casually strolled about the city, helping myself to the local fare.

"No."

She was openly laughing, her sound causing more than a few head to turn in her direction as she pulled me into the line.

"Come one, where's your sense of adventure? If you don't like it we'll find something else."

Playful words, her hand gripping mine as if I would even think to run away.

I sigh, not even bothering with a reply because she is already ordering for the both of us.

A frown on her face as digs around for money in the pouch she carries.

I'm already handing over the credits to the vendor before she realizes it.

"Hey!" exasperation in her voice even as she take the skewer from me, "I can pay."

"Not when you're with me."

Considering the state of the Resistance, I am surprised she has two credits to rub together, let alone the four hundred she flashed to Praksis.

I give her a hard look and she has the audacity to roll her eyes at me.

I must admit, teasing Rey is rather...amusing.

"Ohh...mmm..."

A blissful sound if I ever heard one and she is already half-way through the meat.

I take a bite of my own and find that it isn't as bad as I expected.

Slightly bland but edible.

I look back at Rey and see the smudge of sauce at the corner of her mouth.

She looks like a youngling who hasn't been fed in hours.

"What?"

Her eyes met mine, amused curiosity in them as the skewer is already halfway to her mouth.

I reach over and remove the sauce from her face. The stuff is sticky and cling to my thumb.

"You missed a spot."

I didn't want her walking through town with sauce on her face, it would only make her embarrassed if people stared.

"Oh," she is eyeing the sauce now on my thumb and before I can look for something to wipe it off with, her mouth closes over the spot.

My body clenches hard as I feel her tongue move over my skin, a sensual caress that has me gritting my teeth so I don't do something stupid.

Like find a shadowed corner so I can use my mouth on her.

"There, all clean."

Her eyes lift to mine and whatever else she was going to say seems to fall away as I can only stare at her, the feel of her mouth riding me hard.

"You can't look at me like that."

A whispered plea, her eyes dilating in response to my open desire.

She is asking for the impossible, considering what she just did moments ago.

"Then don't tempt me."

I hear the catch in her breath, the flush on her face and I remind myself harshly that we are not alone.

I am not some adolescent who cannot control his emotions around a beautiful girl.

"Eat Rey," I tell her as I tear of a piece of meat, "I'm not going to ravish you here on the street."

I preferred a more private setting when I take her as my lover.

"Ben!"

My name a choked sound from her lips as she realizes the intent behind my words.

I raise an eyebrow, daring her to argue.

She glares at me and finishes off the food with alacrity.

"Still hungry?"

I'm only steps behind her as we both toss the skewers into a nearby receptacle.

She nods her head.

"Yes, thirsty too." I can see her looking for something to drink, "that sauce was spicy."

"You think that was spicy?"

That was nowhere near spicy and I can only wonder what she's been eating to think that.

"Well, when you've been living off of field rations for a month," she rejoins as she grabs my hand, "anything tastes spicy in comparison."

I couldn't argue with that, although its been quite some time since I needed to pack field rations.

She seems to have found another vendor selling drinks but she's approaching it with caution.

The liquid is different colors and I see a uncertain look cross her face.

She was enthusiastic about the food but now she's hesitating over the drink?

"Lose your sense of adventure?" I cannot help the teasing note as I repeat her words back to her.

She gives me a dour look, clearly not pleased with my choice of words.

"Oh, ha ha." She pushes me to the front, "since I chose the food, you can chose the drink."

I can only shake my head at her obvious reluctance and look at the selections.

A few choices but there is a faint scent of berries from the red and I think Rey will enjoy the taste. I pay the vendor and come back with two cups, placing one of them in her hands.

I see her eyeing the color and I take a sip of the liquid.

A light, sweet drink with the taste of berries that causes the liquid to fizzle on the tongue.

Not something I am familiar with, but I find that it is pleasant.

I look over to Rey, who is now gulping the contents, a pleased expression her face.

She has the cup empty in seconds and looks at it with a slightly crestfallen expression.

"That was great," I see her tongue slide across her mouth, as if trying to catch any leftover drops, "what was that?"

The vendor is speaking...and I recognize the language.

It is one of the many languages my mother taught me, this one special to her.

It was from my biological grandmother's home world, Naboo.

I take a replacement cup back to Rey, since she is enjoying it so much.

She was looking at the vendor with mild curiosity and I realize she didn't understand what he was saying.

"He said its a mixture of local fruit that is soaked in spring water."

It was easy to translate and she looks back to me, bemused.

"You understand him? How?"

Not a demand but more of an explanation as she sips at her drink, this time savoring it.

"He's speaking Tuu'lukin." I find myself telling her, "An off-shoot branch from Naboo."

I can see the obvious question in her eyes, she is wondering why I would learn it.

I find myself answering that unspoken question, the memory a bittersweet one.

"My mother taught me the language."

As a remembrance for her own mother, who died giving birth her...and my uncle.

Padme Amidala Skywalker might be gone, but her legacy still lived on in her daughter...and in me.

I feel Rey's hand slip back into mine, squeezing gently.

A reminder that I am not alone, not with her at my side.

I finish my drink and turn my gaze once more back to the present.

"Come on, there's more to see."

I look down at her, see the compassion and understanding in her gaze and feel the shadows of the memory slip away. I tighten my hold on her hand.

I tug her to my side as we slip back into the crowd, her gentle presence a balm across my soul.

She is like a butterfly, flitting from one vendor to the next, her absolute delight so amusing that I let her lead me where she wills.

There is nothing here that I want, or desire, except to please her.

We move from shop to shop and somewhere in the confusion, her hand slips from mine and I lose track of her.

I might have worried except I can still smell the scent of sunlight and flowers even among the rest of the populace.

I follow the bond between us, that slight tug on my soul, and see her standing over an old vendor displaying his wares.

She is looking at something that shines in the light, a rapturous look on her face I have yet to see.

Such a look as more than piqued my curiosity I move easily to her side, resting my hand on her hip.

She is mine and I am hers and I will not hide my desire to touch her.

"What have you found Rey?"

I want to know what has put that look on her face.

Her fingers were resting on a silver bracelet...yet it is far too large to be worn on the wrist. I must admit the craftsmanship is excellent.

"Ah, to be young again."

I look at the old man, who is glancing at Rey and myself and I wonder what he see's.

He catches my eye and gives me a friendly smile.

"Your lady was admiring the cuffs I make."

The fact that he called Rey mine makes me look at his merchandise with more than just a passing glance.

He picks up the silver one that her fingers had been resting on and I see the geometric patterns done in an abstract design.

"The larger ones are made to be worn on the upper arm, not the wrist."

She is already taking it from his proffered hands, a serious look on her face as I see her twist and turn it.

There are no clasps and no openings, the metal seamlessly woven together.

Since she has not tried it on I am guessing she does not know how it is worn.

"Like this," I tell her, taking the cuff from her fingers, "hold out your arm."

There is no argument from her as she holds out her arm to me, the one that has the scar from the Red Guard.

I move the cuff over her arm, enjoying her sun-warmed skin beneath my fingers as I slide the metal over the scar.

I dislike looking at that mark for many reasons, the main one being she nearly lost her life in that throne room.

The sunlight flashes off the metal and that will not do.

"What," her voice a teasing lilt to it, "doesn't suit me?"

The silver is lovely, but a pale comparison to the woman wearing it but that is not why I am frowning.

I turn without answering her, searching for something better. I see the leather cuffs and look them over.

A soft sable, a close match to the beauty of her hair, and then I notice the vines and leaves worked into the leather.

My Rey likes anything that is green and growing.

A fitting match indeed.

I remove the silver cuff impatiently and slide the new one into place.

There is no glint off the leather to give away her position and the natural material is a compliment to her unadorned beauty.

I look at her and see a whisper of sadness in her gaze and belatedly remember her asking me if the silver didn't suit her.

She must have taken my silence as a yes.

"The silver is too flashy," I tell her, letting my fingers rest on her skin, catching startled amber with my own gaze, "this has a natural beauty, like the woman before me."

A delicate stain of color on her face, her eyes gazing on the cuff I picked out for her.

But the sadness does not retreat and she lifts her hand, attempting to pull the cuff off of her arm.

I thought I knew her, knew what she would like but seeing her trying to take it off was like a cold water thrown in my face.

My fingers are already clamping down on hers, I do not want to see that ugly reminder of the day I lost her.

"You don't like it."

I cannot keep the bitterness from my voice, wondering how I had misjudged her.

She looks up at me, shock in her lovely eyes and words spill from her lips.

"I love it," she tells me in a rush of words that pushes back the bitterness I felt seconds ago, leaving confusion in its wake, "it's beautiful...but I can't afford it."

So that's why she was trying to take it off.

A trivial matter and I told her before, she was not going to pay for anything while I was around.

The vendor is watching me and I let go of her so that I can purchase the cuff.

Every time she wears it, she will think of me and I will be the one to put that joyous look on her face.

"How much?"

"Fifty-two credits. One of my best pieces and quite lovely on the woman, I might add."

"Ben stop," my name a plea on her lips that I don't understand as she grabs my wrist before I can pay for her gift, "please. I told you, I can't afford it no matter what the price is."

Again she worries over the expense.

"I don't remember asking you to pay."

I turn back to the vendor, wanting to settle the matter.

"Look," sharpness in her voice and a current of anger that wasn't there before and she has my attention, " I don't need your charity."

Charity? I have no idea why this is making her so angry.

"Why would you think-"

"AHEM."

Both Rey and I turn back to the vendor, who is staring at us with open amusement.

The fact that Rey is upset only sharpens my ire and his mirth does nothing to quell it.

"Forgive me for the interruption, but it seems you two are still in the beginning stages of courtship."

His words knock back some of my anger and I hear Rey trying to explain something but his attention is not on her.

But me.

A knowing look comes to his old eyes and I find that I am more than a little wary of it.

"Young man, you intend the cuff to be a gift correct? For your lady?"

I might have argued, I never thought about the cuff as an actual gift but then Rey is looking at me, not with the frustration from earlier but puzzlement.

I narrow my gaze at the old man, who is smiling openly at me and I know what he is doing.

He is giving me a chance to explain my actions to Rey without another misunderstanding.

A shrewd old man but one I can appreciate.

I return my attention back to Rey, noting that she hasn't removed...my gift.

Something settles in me and I find my voice.

"You were smiling," I try to explain without sounding foolish, "when you were wearing it," my eyes drift to the soft leather wrapped around her arm, "since it made you...happy," the look on her face from earlier was more than that, "I wanted to give it to you."

So you would always think of me with that same look on your face.

Her face softens and once again I see a side of her she had never shown me.

"You did?" She sounds utterly bewildered by my words, "you really want to buy it for me?"

She sounds as if no has ever simply given her something because she wanted it.

It pleased me to be the first and I vowed that it would not be the last time.

"Yes," I tell her so that there is no misunderstanding, "I really want to buy it for you. Now let me pay for it."

I turn back to the vendor and toss him a hundred credit disk. I don't bother with the change as I feel Rey slip her hand back into my own. I look down to see her smiling at me with such joy, everything else seems trivial in comparison.

She lifts her hand to the vendor as I tug her away, wanting to know what else will keep that smile on her face.

She is laughing as we walk hand in hand through the streets.

She pulls me from shop to shop and I let her, faint amusement threading through me as I see other young men being pushed around in the same manner.

It seems there are some things that are universal.

She pauses at a selection of glass beads, pretty as they catch the light.

"Ben," laughter and sunshine as she calls my name, "you don't have to buy me everything I look at."

She is pulling the beads of deep cerulean from my fingers, the same one she had been touching only moments ago.

"But I want to."

I have wealth beyond imagining and I have never felt a need to spend it, until now.

On her.

But she is shaking her head at me.

"You bought me the cuff," again that soft look on her face as she touches the band around her arm, "that's enough."

She gives me a guilty look as she recaptures my hand. "I just...I just like looking. Doesn't mean I want to own it."

A woman who isn't interested in material items and I wonder if that is true...or she just doesn't want me to keep paying for everything.

Laughter from her as she pulls me away and drags me to another stall.

The light dancing in her eyes as she looks at some rather...curious items, makes me wonder if she isn't doing this to just tease me.

Since I haven't been teased by a woman...ever, I must admit I am enjoying the novelty of it.

So I play along, just so I can hear her laughter.

"Do you want this one?"

I lift a small piece of cloth that is more than a little transparent and the female vendor looks at Rey with a twinkle in her eye.

My Rey has that delicate blush of color across her face.

"No! Put that down!"

She turns away from me to go to another vendor and I move to follow, except something else has caught my eye.

I see charms hanging from a small pole. The designs...it looks like it could be from Tatooine.

"Ben!"

I am already turning my attention to that lilting voice and I see her only a few meters from me, motioning for me to join her.

She looks excited about something and I see her holding a piece of cloth in her arms.

"Hold out your arms."

A demand, not a request.

"Why?"

She gives me an impatient look.

"Don't argue, just do it."

Definitely a demand and since my curiosity will not be satisfied until I comply, I can only sigh and hold out my arms.

I feel ridiculous.

That is until she presses what appears to be a shirt across my body.

She has such a serious look on her face, I wonder what she is thinking.

"What are you doing?"

But she doesn't answer me, instead she gives a vague nod of her head and pulls away from me, folding the item over her arm.

"Hi, I'd like to buy this."

She is already at the vendor's side, handing over her money before I can slide my hand back across her body.

I am now more than merely curious about what she bought. We must have walked through a dozen vendors and this is the only thing she has shown a decided interest in, other than the cuff.

I wait, with little patience, as the vendor wraps the gift and I can finally pull her away.

I move her to a small alcove, away from the main road. The sun is riding high and the weather has turned sultry.

We can have shade and few moments of privacy.

"What was that about?" I ask, trying to strangle my curiosity into some semblance of manners, "You don't normally wear black."

Except for today, she prefers lighter colors.

"It wasn't for me," soft words as she tucks a stray lock behind her ear, "it was for you."

I can only stare at her, wondering if I heard her correctly when she ducks her head, offering me the wrapped item.

"I...I know its not much but I thought-"

I don't care about the cost, only the fact that she was thinking of me.

"You...bought this for me? A gift?"

I feel like she's taken the air from my lungs.

I cannot remember the last time I received a gift.

A lifetime ago.

The blush is still on her face but she is no longer avoiding my gaze.

"I did," a soft hesitancy to her words, "do you like it? I thought...you could wear it beneath...you know...your other clothing."

She was anxious that I liked her gift, just as I was when I picked out hers.

She is looking at me with fragile eyes and a tenderness that is only for me.

I will kill any other male who dares to see her like this.

I pull her to me, she has taken my ability to speak but I can show her how much her gift means to me.

She is already lifting her head to me as I lay my mouth across hers.

Soft, silken lips as I sip at her mouth, a warmth inside of me that did not exist, until she entered my life.

The world falls away and there is only us.

If I could halt time I would have done so, just to keep this moment alive.

A ragged cry cuts through the air and I feel Rey startle in my arms, breaking contact.

She is already searching, her body tense.

"Rey," I cannot keep the warning out of my voice, I don't want her doing something reckless, but she is already out of my arms and racing towards the victim.

I swear silently in my head and chase after her, cutting through the crowd to get to her side as she ducks into a narrow alley between building.

She had better not be hurt or I will spill blood in retaliation and I will not care whose it is.

To be continued...