The Pivotal Moment

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A/N-thank you for reviewing and sticking with this story. This is about to go in a direction you might not expect as Ben gets a glimpse of what could have been…

Chapter Sixteen-A Revealing Conversation

The next time that Ben opened his eyes the desert planet was shrouded in darkness. He groaned in pain, his head banging, his throat raw with thirst. He descended into a coughing fit; his fingers splayed across his heaving chest.

"Here!" An irritated voice came from above him. "You'll feel better if you sit up."

It was Rey!

The sound of her voice shot a bolt of adrenaline through him. Ben clambered to his feet, groaning again when his head began to spin. He heard Rey make an annoyed sound in the back of her throat as she helped him to stand.

"I said sit up not stand."

Ben wanted to laugh at her scolding. But his attempt only served to send him into another coughing fit. With Rey's help he slumped back onto the floor. She roughly propped him up against something. He wasn't sure what. Instead he concentrated his gaze on her beautiful face, taking in every tiny change in expression. Her emotions were not easily hidden on her innocent face. Rey's pain was evident in the crease of her lovely brow and the down-curve of her full lips. But her eyes, those incredible eyes, were the windows to her soul. They were a deep pool of restless gold, watchful and waiting.

"Drink this." She offered him a flask of tepid water.

"Thanks." Ben rasped. He tried to smile but his lips wobbled. He was so thirsty. He raised the flask to his chapped lips and began to gulp down the slick water greedily. But he drank too fast, and he choked.

"Sip it!" Rey snapped impatiently. "And there's not too much of that to go around, so go easy."

"Okay." Ben mumbled guiltily as he did as she ordered him. The water dribbled down his throat like a soothing wave. He breathed slowly, taking another tentative sip, before handing the precious water back to Rey. "Thank you."

"Whatever." Rey mumbled as she screwed the cap back on and turned her back on him.

Ben sighed, saddened that he had made such a poor first impression. He watched Rey rummage through her meagre possessions for a minute, before reluctantly tearing his eyes away from her so he could take in his surroundings. They widened when he realised where she had taken him. Rey had made her home in an old downed imperial walker, probably left over from the Battle of Jakku. To make it more homely she had decorated the inside with tiny flowers, none of which Ben recognised. He was surprised that anything could grow in this barren place. Her small attempt to put her mark on this grim place brought tears to his eyes. He took a deep breath and tried to hold them back. She had already formed a low opinion of him in their short acquaintance, he didn't want to make it worse by commenting on her living conditions.

"Are you hungry?" Rey asked harshly, bringing him back into the moment. "I don't have much. I was on my way to sell this junk when I came across you. But you are welcome to what's left of my rations." She tagged on at the end grudgingly.

Ben shook his head. "I'm okay." He lied. He couldn't take her food; it touched his battered heart that she was willing to give the last of her own supply to a complete stranger. It was such a Rey thing to do.

"I can see you're hungry." Rey sighed. "Just take it. I'll get more after I take you to the Niima outpost in the morning."

"I can't…."

Rey rolled her eyes as she split the rations in half and held out a portion toward him. A raging hunger made his stomach rumble in protest and he nodded his head in thanks, figuring voicing his gratitude would just annoy her further. He gobbled the food down quickly, making Rey roll her eyes again as she settled down opposite him and ate hers in tiny birdlike bites, making the small amount last longer.

Once they had finished eating, an awkward silence descended. Ben could clearly see Rey was uncomfortable having a stranger taking up so much space in her carefully ordered world. She kept throwing him mistrustful glances, her brows drawing down as she tried to figure him out.

"Thank you for helping me." He said after a while, desperate to break the intense quiet. "I'm grateful."

Rey stared at him pensively, clearly building up to ask him a question of her own. "How did you know my name?" She said suddenly.

"Huh?" Ben was confused. He couldn't remember much of their first meeting, only his delirious happiness at finding her again.

"You said my name!"

"I did?" Ben responded cautiously. "I don't remember."

Anger flashed in Rey's hazel eyes, enhancing the brilliance, and captivating Ben, who found himself lost for words all over again. He watched as she rose to her haunches, her posture tense. "Were you looking for me?" Her breath hitched slightly, a slight eagerness dimming her anger as she leaned forward. "Did someone send you to find me?"

The hopeful tremor in her voice nearly destroyed Ben as it dawned on him what she was thinking. Rey thought her parents had sent him to find her. It was why she had stayed on this godforsaken planet for so long, forever waiting, afraid to leave. He didn't know how to answer her, hating to be the one who stamped out the faint hope in her heart that her parents were alive and coming back for her.

Ben was forced to watch as the faint hope flickered in her eyes and dimmed to nothing. He reached out to her, his fingers extended, desperate to touch her. But Rey swept away from him, walking to the other side of the small room and hiding her expression. Ben's hand dropped back to his side and he felt her despair envelope them both.

Another silence descended; the tension more rampant then before. Ben wanted to break it, to fall to his knees at her feet and confess everything. But he knew it wouldn't do any good. She wouldn't believe him. Instead she would think the harsh desert sun had driven him mad and he was suffering from delusions or something. He waited, staying quiet to give Rey time to gather her thoughts. When she finally turned to face him again, she was more composed.

"You seem to know my name. But I don't know yours." She said softly.

"It's Ben." He said, clearing his throat awkwardly.

"Ben?" Rey prompted him.

"Ben S-Solo." Ben tripped over his last name. Saying his birth name out loud like that felt alien to him, but he certainly wasn't prepared for Rey's reaction to it. To his shock her whole demeanour changed. It was like a light had been switched on inside her.

"Ben Solo!" She whispered in awe. "You're the Ben Solo?"

"The Ben Solo?" He echoed her, completely bemused.

"The commander of the Resistance's Starfighter corps, the son of General Han Solo and General Leia Organa!" Rey was vibrating with excitement. She stepped toward him, her incredible eyes shining with adulation, then she seemed to check herself, slightly bowing her head in deference. "Its an honour to meet you. If I had known…." Her voice tailed off anxiously as she began to worry her bottom lip with her teeth.

Amazement didn't quite cover what Ben was feeling. It was like he had been dropped into an alternative universe. He had been convinced that he had been thrust into Rey's past, but he had been mistaken. It took a second for this new information to sink in. Then to his surprise he felt his lips stretch wider into a surprised smile, his eyebrows arching for the sky. Rey was gazing at him like he was someone worth knowing. Like Ben Solo in this alternate universe was some kind of hero.

"I'm Ben Solo." He said again, testing the name on his lips and liking the sound of it for the first time in his life.

"And one of the best pilots in the whole galaxy." Rey breathed. Her skin flushed when she realised what she had let slip and she smiled at him nervously. "Or so I've heard."

The spark of wonder that had been ignited inside Ben flowered like someone had poured kerosene on it. The stunned smile showing on the outside couldn't adequately reflect what he was feeling on the inside; like every neurone of his brain was trying to fire in both directions at once-the best kind of paralysis.

"But what are you doing all the way out here?" Rey wondered. She hesitated, lowering her eyes in shame. "Sorry, of course you can't tell some random nobody."

Her words doused cold water on Ben's elation. He shook his head in denial, reaching out to her and placing a hand on her shoulder. Rey stiffened, not used to being touched or shown much sympathy. She brushed his hand away and retreated a few steps.

Ben sighed. "You're not a nobody, Rey. You're my saviour." He said so earnestly that Rey's incredulous eyes raised to meet his. "You saved me." He continued huskily, not even bothering to hide the emotion in his voice.

"I'm just a scavenger." Rey responded sadly.

"You're so much more than that." Ben answered passionately, wishing he wasn't so clumsy with words. "You're everything. You have no idea of your potential."

Rey's eyebrows shot up in surprise at his passionate declaration. Her cheeks flushed and she seemed lost for words. Ben cursed, knowing he'd probably freaked her out. He was such an idiot. He had to dial it back before she changed her mind about him completely. He raked his fingers through his hair and smiled disarmingly and shrugged. It was such a Han Solo gesture that it caught him short. He felt like he was morphing into his father.

"You must need to contact your base. Where's your ship? Did it crash in the desert?" Rey finally found her voice.

"Yes." Ben said slowly, it was as good as explanation for his presence in the middle of nowhere then anything he could think up on the fly.

"You should get some rest." Rey suggested. "I'll take you to the Niima outpost at first light. I'm sure you can find help there."

"Thanks." Ben said again.

"Don't thank me. You're the one risking your life every day." Rey smiled faintly, before walking back out into the night and leaving him alone to dwell on everything he had learned so far.

A/N-thanks for reading! Please review.