Hello my social distancers! I am so very sorry that this chapter has taken so long. Life has been pretty surreal and I thought I would have lots of time to write having a whole week off for March break. Not so much...we are all good here in Canada, and I have been spending alot of time with the kiddos while I keep track of things for my return to work in a couple days...yes, I am working...I work in healthcare, so please...follow the rules so I can come safely home to my family.
Now...onto this chapter. So, I had almost 10 pages written and I scrapped the whole thing. It didn't flow, I lost my voice of Ben and Rey, and I was having some writers block so...I went through and re-read my complete story. If I have time I will be correcting some spelling errors I noticed and you all have been amazing to overlook as you read.
Hopefully this chapter has found it's way back...please, review and let me know, as I'm always the hardest critic.
Stay safe! Enjoy your time with family, and I will do my best to update sooner! Hugs (from a safe distance)
Chapter 29
Once in the hut, Ben made sure Tsaro had the little ones settled before he turned his attention to Rey, knowing she was going to argue about him healing her before they moved to the rest. He could sense her rebuttals all lined up and fixed her with a firm look as their hut was filled with the calm of small snores.
"I can't heal everyone myself and sort out the radio calls to get us the supplies we need." He said preempting all of the arguments she had worked out.
Ben's sensibility over-rid the fight Rey was gearing up for and she only managed to grumble, her lips set as she ground out, "Fine." Before he proceeded to place a warm hand on her for head, his eyes closing in concentration.
It almost felt like a gathering mass of static electricity, how the sensation washed over her, causing the hairs on her arms to stand up. The force flowed through her like she was laying in a shallow of warm water and she closed her eyes, relishing the sensation of Ben's force merging and filling her.
The pain in her head quickly subsided, her ability to focus sharpening and she breathed a sigh of relief before she opened her eyes. Ben's warm gaze studied her closely before seemingly satisfied with what he saw.
"You go deal with the injured and I will send a message to Poe." Rey said softly, as she gave Ben's hand a squeeze in thanks.
He nodded, glancing back at the young ones asleep before he head out to Finn's hut first, where they had put Voe till they could figure out what to do with her. He wanted to make sure she wouldn't cause any more trouble and set to keep her unconscious as he had done to Rey in the forest when they first met. Once finished, he headed to the wash hut to take care of all those who got hurt during the fires.
By the time he finished, he was completely drained and the sun was trying to peak it's way up over the horizon. He headed out slowly back to the hut and turned the corner to find Finn exiting one of the other ones that was filled with loudly snoring sensitives, his face tired and strained.
Ben let out a resigned sigh as Finn caught his eye, and headed over to him while he had paused, Finns head nodding in the direction of the small stone wall. He shifted, letting Finn pass, the sun having edged over the horizon, creating a beautiful display of colors reflecting off the calm waves. Finn moved to the edge of the cliff leading to the water and leaned a hip against the stones as he reflected on his thoughts for a moment.
Ben got the strong sense that he had something that he wanted to say, but mercifully he had managed to be able to be able to keep his thoughts to himself after one day of training. He kept a bit of distance, his fatigue setting in a little more as he waited, causing him to grow impatient.
"We all heard what Voe was saying during the fight." Finn finally said, sensing that Ben was growing annoyed while he debated on voicing his thoughts.
Ben huffed, a small breath of minor frustration and closed the distance to the wall, keeping his eyes on the horizon and the light of the rising sun, "That was obvious. And you have something to add?" He said shortly, having very little patience left for his expected criticism.
Finn took a deep breath, shoving his own aggravation down at Ben's shortness, and attempted to give voice to his thoughts, "Not add, I just wanted to say something." He turned to face Ben; his eyes serious.
Ben regarded Finn's serious look, "I spent many years training as a storm trooper, was in many different fights. I don't know what made the difference on Jakku, but something changed that day. For all of us."
Finn took another moment before he continued, "I'm not saying I want to be your best friend, but it's obvious there is a lot about you that we all don't know. And that's none of my business, but….Rey trusts you." He explained, rambling a bit as he gathered his thoughts. "After last night, so do I." He finished firmly.
Ben was stunned into silence and could feel the seconds ticking away as he just stared at Finn until he found his voice, "I appreciate you saying that." Was all he could manage to get out.
Finn knew that was the best he could hope for so he just gave Ben a sharp nod and turned to the head back to the packed hut, "You should get some sleep, you look like bantha dung." He stated as a parting comment before slipping through the door.
Ben watched the door close, dumbfounded by the conversation, "Huh." He said out loud to himself before heading back to his hut.
He closed the door quietly, and found Rey in her chair with a cup of tea, watching the flames as the five little ones snored away. There was a steaming cup set on the table by his chair and he slumped down, thankfully, picking it up.
They sat in silence for a few minutes letting the flames lull them before Rey turned her head and regarded Ben, "Poe is rallying help. He said he should be able to have supplies and crews here by late afternoon." She said softly watching his expression turn to relief.
Ben knew that she was waiting for an explanation, but he didn't know what to say, how to make her understand what happened, when no one had before.
"Poe will take Voe to Ajan Kloss so they can decide her fate," she said softly and hesitated before continuing, "I think Ann should stay on the island." She said with trepidation as she saw the surprise flashed across his face.
Rey held up her hand to stop his argument, "Wait, hear me out." She said softly, glancing at the children to ensure their conversation hadn't woken them. "Ann, was a pawn. I felt the sincerity of her shame in her actions. We will have no more problems with her from now on."
Rey had thought about things after speaking with Poe and was hoping Ben would understand that she felt they should give those a chance.
Ben closed his mouth in a tight line as he narrowed his eyes at her. He could sense the resolve in her as she shared her reasoning through the bond. Closing his eyes he took a deep breath and nodded his head slowly, "Alright." He said in a low tone.
Looking up, he spotted Jek's innocent face on Rey's bed, his mouth slightly open, with a small spot of drool forming on the blanket under his cheek and the thought of how Jek saved him flirted across his mind.
Rey caught his thought as she gazed in his eyes and her face shifted from relief to shock and disbelief as she flipped though the events from his point of view, Ben giving her full access. Her eyes filled with tears, the realization of how close Voe came to in succeeding in her revenge.
"Ben..." She whispered and swallowed a lump as tears welled in her eyes, "I want to know everything." She added gently, trying to let go of the hurt she felt from him shutting her out.
"Rey, we almost lost everything because of me." He insisted surprised there was any fire left in him, considering how tired he felt.
Rey reached out and took his hand, "And the universe will be saved by you." Her tone filled with love and understanding .
Ben's exhaustion had whittled away his usual tight control of his emotions and he chuckled humorlessly, rolling his eyes at Rey to her shock.
"Ben Solo! Did you just roll your eyes at me?" Rey almost laughed, incredulous as he tried to get a grasp on himself again.
Ben's mind kept returning to the dark memories of his fight with Voe, mixed with his conversation with Finn. He couldn't seem to organize his mind, the darkness twisting around, whispering his insecurities as he sat and brooded.
Rey felt the conflict flowing through him and reached out to follow his thoughts and turned to watch him carefully. She tested his mental state through their bond, flipping through the memories of his conversation with Voe again, mildly concerned that he didn't seem to be blocking her at all.
Gasping she heard Ben's comment about carrying the burden of the temple and immediately move to crouch in front of him as he had his head hung, holding his mug.
"Ben! Why didn't you tell me?!" she exclaimed before immediately glancing back at the kids to make sure she hadn't woke them. "You didn't even say anything when you had your dream! You let me believe that was a memory!" Rey's voice was filled with hurt and confusion.
Ben's shoulders dropped as if he had a weight of a planet on them, "I know." He said quietly, shame filling his voice.
Rey gently took the mug from his hands, drawing up his gaze to meet her eyes, "You could have told me." She whispered and cupped a hand to his cheek.
"I have shouldered the responsibility of that day for my whole life. That I murdered all those children. No one would ever believe what I really saw." He said with a deep frown.
Rey scoffed, "That's Sidious talking." She remained silent for a moment before she continued, "Show me what happened." She said softly.
Ben shifted and stood, leading her to the bed, climbing on it in a meditative position, "I don't like this memory." He said under his breath as Rey sat across from him and took his hands.
They closed their eyes, slowing their breathing until they were in sync with each other, and Ben let her into his mind, calling forth the memory that was buried deep.
Rey stepped into the memory, surrounded by smoke, darkness and anger. She was looking down on a young Ben, trapped under the ruble of his hut as he woke with a cough and gasp. He shifted debris off of him and looked around in horror. A dark and ominous cloud was over the main temple, lightening flashing and sparking, blowing it apart in places as the fire roared as if it had a life of his own. Yet even with the flashes and rumbling he could hear voices crying out.
Rey watched the young Ben sprint towards the temple yelling that he was coming while the storm seemed to sense his intentions, gathering in strength before unleashing a torrent of flashes, exploding the temple, throwing Ben back with the force of it.
Rey was jarred back to their hut, tears flowing down her face with the emotions flowing to her, "But Voe wasn't in there?" She finally asked swiping at her cheeks.
Ben shook his head, still not meeting her eyes, "Veo, Tai and Hennix had been off world on an errand. They came back just as everything was burning. I was so angry with Luke for what he did, but they didn't believe me. And…..Voe attacked me." Ben's voice was so quiet Rey strained to hear him.
"It took some time, but I figured it had been Snoke that destroyed the temple, but I guess it was really Sidious, considering the lightening." Ben stated, his eyes starting to droop a little, fatigue getting the best of him finally.
Rey was at a loss for what to say. Ben had taken on the hate of the whole resistance for that day, completely succumbing to Palpatine's manipulation in that singular moment of isolation. She finally understood part of the depth of the hurt surrounding his parents. Not only had Luke tried to kill him, his friends accused him of murdering everyone and wouldn't believe him when he said it wasn't his fault. Then, when the dust settled, his parents had believed that he could be capable of such an act.
Rey reached over and cupped his cheek, "Oh, Ben." Was all she could say to him as she felt him curl into the darkness, letting it protect him from the pain.
"Master Ben?" Came a groggy voice from the other bed.
Ben looked over to see Jek sitting up, rubbing his eyes with his balled up fists and frowning as he felt the unsettled emotions coming off of Ben.
Ben flicked a glance at Rey before his slid off the bed and walked over, offering the boy a rare smile, "You should be sleeping." He whispered watching the boy lay back down, snuggling a little under the blankets, his little hands coming up to tuck under his cheek on the pillow.
Jek frowned a little his lip pouting out and eyes getting watery, "We going to be okay, right Master Ben?" he whispered, his lip quivering for a moment, sensitive to Ben's unfiltered, dark emotions.
Ben felt his heart squeezing in an unaccustomed manner and he moved to perch on the edge of the bed, "Master Rey and I are doing everything we can to ensure that." He reassured the boy in a whisper. "What you did earlier was very brave." He added placing a hand on his shoulder.
Jek gave his shoulders a slight shrug under his hand, "You need help. I just faster than others." Jek whispered back dismissively, his dimples deepening with a grin at such praise.
Ben huffed a chuckle and patted Jek's shoulder, "Still, you saved me. Thank you." He said humbly and gave him a small bow of the head.
Jek beamed, moving suddenly, surprising Ben as his weight slammed into him, his arms wrapping around his neck tightly. Ben hesitated before choosing to wrap an arm around the child and give him a squeeze as he continued to cling tightly to him.
"You save me first." Jek whispered in Ben's ear softly before he moved back to the bed allowing Ben to tuck him back under the covers a second time.
Ben swallowed hard, blinking back the sudden tears that welled in his eyes, chalking it all up to fatigue as he finally moved to the bed where Rey was watching him, a soft smile on her lips and he cleared his throat conspicuously.
Rey swung her legs over the edge of the bed standing and wrapped her arms around his neck, "We need to clean you up." Rey said quietly against his neck.
Ben just held her for a moment, breathing in the scent of her, closing his eyes, letting her warmth soak into him in every way. He didn't know how they were supposed to defeat the darkness when they had come so very close to losing to a single person.
Rey felt his shifting thoughts and concerns as he tightened his grip around her waist and she just let him hold her. She felt that he needed the support for the moment, his exhaustion like a physical weight around him, stripping away his walls.
His grip eventually lessened and she moved back, keeping the contact as a tether between them, "Go sit at the table. I will clean you up." She directed with a reassuring squeeze to his arms before she headed to the supply kit.
Ben felt hollow as he moved to the table, sitting in the chair on the end as he waited for Rey to minister to his cut. She finally set a bowl down with warm water and a rag and started to clean him up with a tenderness that soothed his raw soul. The sun was now shining fully around the door and window and it felt like he hadn't slept in days.
"I'm getting a little to familiar with cleaning up your face." She said softly, her eyes flicking to his for a brief moment as a ghost of a smile played on her lips.
Ben arched his eyebrow at her attempt at humor and just shrugged a little, "Sorry." Was all, he could manage for a reply.
Once the blood was washed away she closed her eyes and healed the cut instead of just bandaging it. Ben had enough reminders right now of what happened, he didn't need another scar because of it.
She was just finishing up as Tsaro slipped quietly into the hut to their surprise and regarded them with mild displeasure, "Masters need rest. I come to get younglings." She said raising her voice slightly, causing those by the fire to stir and groan.
"Up, up, little sprouts!" she called moving to each child as they complained and grumbled, "Breakfast ready and getting cold." She added, causing all five to quickly change their tunes and hurry up and out the door, chattering loudly.
Tsaro turned before following, "Rest now. I come get later." She said, her tone indicating she was not to be trifled with.
Rey nodded her thanks and moved to latch the door behind the caretaker as she exited before turning to Ben, "Come on, you heard her." Rey chided with a grin.
Ben groaned and shuffled over to where she was standing, pulling off his shirt and dumping it unceremoniously on the floor, "How long do we have?" He asked, stifling a yawn, toeing off his boots and stripping his filthy pants off before crawling in bed with just his under clothes on.
Rey couldn't help herself as she watched his lean frame move, muscles moving under his smooth skin as he crawled under the covers before she realized he had asked her something.
"Sorry?" She said blushing a little with being caught in her thoughts.
Ben caught the train of her mind and watched the blush spread across her cheeks and down her neck. Despite his fatigue, and everything they had been through a lopsided grin spread slowly across his face and he raised an eyebrow at her.
"Pretty sure we don't have as long as I would like for that." Ben teased, enjoying how she ducked her head, face going from pink to a flaming red.
As Rey ducked her face in embarrassment she realized how filthy her clothes were too, and undressed quickly, hopping in under the covers, suddenly very self conscious of the way Ben was watching her. As soon as her bare skin hit his, a delicious shiver spread out from her core to the tips of her fingers and toes.
Ben tucked her in close, feeling the goosebumps spread across her skin and he smiled, her body betraying her mind with its traitorous reactions, before he frowned into her hair at the thought of how less than a day ago they were laying the same way before his past nearly burned it all to the ground.
Rey felt the return shift to the dark in him and she pushed back a little, reaching up to thread her fingers through his curls again, softly stroking the frustrations away.
"Rest now Ben." She whispered and watched his eyes flutter closed as she continued to stroke his hair in a slow repetitive manner.
Ben sighed and let his fatigue finally break through as he focused on Rey's fingers gently lulling him into a relaxed state until he drifted off.
Ben felt warm and relaxed as the sound of laughter drifted into his consciousness, a light smile playing on his lips as he smelt fresh flowers and sea air floating through the room. It didn't quite feel right and he opened his eyes to find himself laying on a soft sofa, gauzy curtains shifting in a breeze from the open windows in the pastel colored room.
He looked around confused, unable to place his surroundings as the laughter continued from somewhere outside. Ben got up, noticing his clothes we soft linen, and lose, a light tan color that seemed to fit with the décor of the setting.
Following the voices he headed out two double doors, their curtains billowing gently as he passed, hesitantly, heading out onto a terrace with a large curved balcony. Lush trees and grass sloped down to a pristine white sand beach where gentle waves lapped. The water was a deep crystal blue, stretching out with the occasional tree covered island popping up on the horizon.
Ben continued to the railing and spotted the source of the laughter. Rey was lounging on a blanket, another woman with her, but they were both in loose, flowing gowns, that left their shoulders and backs completely bare to the warm afternoon sun.
Rey tossed her head back in laughter and it floated on the wind to him, her hair ruffled with the movement, long and loose, hanging almost half way down her back. She turned slightly, sensing his presence and caught his eye, beaming, and stood, jogging up the hill to the stone walk and staircase that Ben was descending,
"Hello sleepy head! I thought you were going to totally miss this beautiful afternoon." She said lightly and threw her arms around his neck, pulling him down for a kiss.
She was light and sun, her skin still heated from soaking it up on the blanket, and she smelt like summer, heavy blooms and ocean air and he couldn't help but melt into her. He pressed her against him, tasting her lips and the lingering sweetness of some fruit she must have been eating when something nagged at the back of his mind.
There was something not right with the feel of her against him, something that caused him to pull away and holds her at arms length.
"Ben?" Rey questioned him, her lightness and smile fading a little with her confusion, "What…." She said as he looked her over.
His gaze studied her eyes, cheeks, lips, and travelled down her body, trying to find the source of his 'wrong' feeling. His gazed continued to travel down her length until the breeze caught the light gauzy material of her dress, pressing it against her frame.
His heart nearly stopped as his breathing caught in his throat at the sight of her slightly swollen belly. His mouth gaped, as he tried to put into words his shock at the sight.
"Ben? What's wrong?" She said, drawing his eyes back up to her, now, concerned face.
"It….you're….Am I…." He stuttered, his gaze falling back to her stomach.
"Ben, you are scaring me. What's going on?" Rey asked, reaching up to place a hand on his cheek.
He just shook his head and reached out tentatively, his eyes flicking to hers in a question of permission before he continued.
"Ben?" her voice said softly, as his hand inched forward, time slowing to a near standstill as he watched the space narrow.
"Ben, it's time." Came her voice again and he frowned, the world fading away from his view as the feel of the sheer material kissed the ends of his fingers.
"No…wait." He said, hearing his voice seem so far away.
"Ben? You need to wake up." Rey's voice floated to him again in the dark and his mind started to register his true surroundings.
Rey watched his eyes flutter open, confusion and loss weaving through his mind as he focused on her. "The transports will be here soon. It's time to wake up." She said again gently as he frowned.
Ben blinked at her and reached forward, his hand sliding to her hip and drifting to her flat midsection as she lay mostly on her back beside him, "I….it….I was dreaming." He said in a low whisper, frowning.
Rey smiled softly and covered his hand with hers were it rested just as it had when her brought her back to life, "You were really out." She said with a small chuckle, while respecting his thoughts. She felt he wasn't wanting to share them in that moment, so she left it be and just leaned forward to place a light kiss on his cheek.
Ben frowned as she kissed him, completely taken off balance by the disappointment that laced through him. He cleared his throat and pushed his thoughts to the side, "We should get up." He said and let her go, getting out of the bed to dress. His eye wandered over her form while she got clean clothes and dressed herself, repeatedly continuing to drift to her midsection.
Rey felt his eyes on her as she moved, his mind heavy with concern, "Is there something you would like to ask me?" She finally said as she pulled her shirt over her head and wrapped the belt around her narrow waist. His eyes were tracking her movements intently and it was making her very nervous.
Ben sat heavily on the bed, pants on but shirt in his hands, forgotten, "We, umm, we've never talked about it. And I guess I just wasn't thinking…." He started and stared intently at a loose thread on his shirt.
Rey was utterly lost, and couldn't gauge where he was coming from as his emotions were all over the map, "Ben?" She said, moving to place her hands on his fidgeting ones.
Ben looked up and swallowed, "We, ah, haven't used anything." He said, not sure how to initiate the conversation.
Rey's brows came together in confusion, "I don't…" she said with a shake of her head.
Ben huffed a little in his awkwardness, "Protection, so you, ah, well, you know." He said, feeling suddenly hot considering he wasn't wearing a shirt.
Rey racked her brain, until it finally clicked. He was worried about her getting pregnant! "Oh! I just figured, KRIFF!" she said with a nervous laugh.
She sighed and drew his gaze up again, "Slaves on Jakku have an implant to control the population. Unless it's removed, I won't get pregnant." She said softly as an explanation her face still confused as to what brought on the question and the thread of disappointment that was weaving it's way through his mind.
Ben focused on their hands for a moment as he frowned, trying to figure out the disappointment he felt at her news, that was as shocking as the pleasure he felt in his dream. He closed his eyes and cleared his mind, shoving his feelings and the memory of the dream away to a corner in his mind before he opened them and fixed his gaze on her hazel eyes.
"It just occurred to me." He said, attempting to shrug it off, while knowing that she didn't buy it for one micron.
Rey knew he wasn't being honest, but she could sense that this wasn't something that she needed to force, so she let it go and opted to lean in to place a kiss on his temple, "I will remind you of this later." She whispered against his skin.
Ben huffed a laugh and nodded, "Much later, please." He said, his voice not quite matching his attempted mood.
Rey narrowed her eyes at him and moved away, grabbing her saber and heading to the door just as there were a succession of tell tale pops that reverberated from overhead.
Ben stood and yanked his shirt over his head, and followed Rey quickly out the door.
Poe had rallied the whole council to their cause and ended up showing up with more than enough volunteers and supplies to make short work of the repairs. Within a week they had all the huts rebuilt, the mess hall completed and a fully functioning wash house built to the joy of all.
Ben and Rey were relieved to have their hut back to themselves after almost six full days of kids in their space. Even with Tsaro's diligent wrangling of them, it had been exceedingly trying on everyone's patience. Rey had stolen away for a few precious moments to straighten up their hut and have some peace and quiet when Ben slipped in, locking their door with a sigh.
"I have been around thousands of people on a destroyer, but this feels crowded." He said falling into his chair with a grateful groan.
Amidst all the building and resuming the training of the sensitives, they had precious little quiet lately except for managing to have a few sessions in the grey, fortifying the shell around the darkness since they had both been distracted with the fires, the fight with Voe, and now all the repairs. The quietness of their hut was a welcome change even though they could hear the myriad of all the activities still ongoing in the field.
Rey folded the blanket on her old bed as she felt Ben's eyes on her back, his mind working on thoughts behind his shields, although she managed to glean some of them surrounded Voe leaving the island. Poe had Chewie and Lando take Voe back to Ajan Kloss on the Falcon after the first supplies had been emptied. He had assured them, that she would be treated well as they ascertained what should be done with her since her actions put everyone on the island at risk.
"Poe said they should be finished the last of the repairs by the end of day today." Rey mentioned conversationally as she continued to fold blankets.
"Hmmm." Was Ben's only response as he was lost in the quiet and his thoughts.
Rey turned, setting the blankets down, moving to where he was seated and threaded her fingers through the curls at the base of his skull, "What's on your mind?" She asked softly, feeling him lean into her hand slightly.
He never seemed to mind that her fingers always seemed to find their way to his hair, and he closed his eyes, allowing himself a moment to enjoy the feeling of it, "We need to start training with Nelo." He said in a low tone.
Rey figured he was already moving on to the next step since the repairs and building where practically complete. He never seemed to have peace in a moment, always moving forward with the next stage. She figured that was part of the reason he made a good leader, which was most definitely a trait of his mother's.
"I figured that would happen soon." She said as he leaned a little further into her, resting his forehead on her hip, his eyes drifting closed.
He had missed theses moments with her after the last week and so much going on. He was always surprised at how easily he had gone from such an isolated person to her partner in all this.
There was a knock on their door and Ben sighed as their moment slipped away instantly while Rey moved away to the door. She flipped the latch, opening the door to find Tsaro.
"Word came from council. Travelers saw fire, return early." She said, her face light and joyful at such good news.
Ben stood and walked over, Rey feeling his hesitation at having such a large amount of people added to the island so soon, but she cut him off, "That is great news Tsaro. We need some celebration to lighten everyone's mood. What can we do to help?" Rey asked placing her hand on Ben's forearm to keep him quiet.
"Nothing now. Will tell if something." She replied, turning as two of the kids squealed in the distance. She nodded and shuffled off calling the boys names that were tumbling in the dirt.
Rey closed the door turning to Ben's scowling face, "I know what you are going to say, but we need this Ben." Her tone was gentle, yet insistent as she reached back and slid the lock in place again.
Ben eyed her for a moment trying to gauge if it was a fight he could win, "You have that look in your eye." He stated, coming to the conclusion there was not talking her out of this.
Rey smiled lightly at him and slid her hands up his chest, "And yet you still are thinking about trying to change my mind." She narrowed her eyes at him in challenge as her hands continued to make there way to the silky ends of his hair.
"I never was one to fight a losing battle." He said sliding his hands around her waist briefly thinking about how much time they might have at the moment before pulling her tight against him, the memory of his dream threatening the edges of his mind.
Rey caught his thoughts at the forefront and blushed furiously, "A celebration would also be a distraction away from us." She whispered shyly, her eyes wandering to his mouth as it moved slowly closer.
The rumbling "Mmm Mmm," response was his only relent before he captured her lips in a slow kiss, relishing in the feeling that he had been denied for the last week with the kids ever present.
The moment their breathing sped up, the force sparked between them as if it had been waiting for the fuel to ignite. A slow, burning heat began to rise and envelop them both, snaking around their legs to start, almost binding them together as it wound it's way up, tightening around them, merging their beings into one until it stopped in their chests.
The fire burned as it heated with the intensity of their slow kiss and Rey could feel the duality of sensations of her and Ben as they merged and she let it sweep her away like a riptide in the ocean. Their merging was as fluid as water, yet carried the heat of the sun burning it's way between them.
Ben felt like the world outside floated away until a knock brought him around, "Yes?!" He grumped to the offending person, keeping his arms tight around Rey, eyes closed and forehead on hers.
"Master Ben?" Came Raan's tentative voice, "General Poe is looking for you." She said meekly.
Rey chuckled quietly and pecked a quick kiss to the end of Ben's nose as his frown deepened at her action, "Duty calls." She whispered, reluctantly moving away from him.
Ben turned to the door, "I will be right there. Thank you Raan." He said stiffly trying his best to not be annoyed with the girl.
He unlatched the door and turned, tossing Rey a questioning look, "Are you not coming?" He asked finally as she made to move to join him.
A lopsided grin spread across her face, "Poe is looking for you." She said flopping into her chair and picking up a cup of tea.
Ben scowled at her grin and headed out, grumbling, "Heavy is the crown of leadership." Shutting the door on Rey's laughter.
