The Pivotal Moment

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A/N-thank you very much to all those who kindly reviewed this story. Your feed back is very much appreciated.

Chapter Twenty-One-Confusion

Before Ben and Rey had even stepped off the ramp Ben was surrounded by a group of resistance fighters-a mixture of pilots and jedi. Rey was elbowed to one side as they swarmed around him, trying to claim his attention. After years spent in isolation Ben couldn't cope with this sudden influx of adulation. He felt his heart pumping madly as he looked around wildly for Rey. But he couldn't see her above the bobbing heads of the people trying to grab a piece of him. His brain was screaming at them to get back, to allow him room to breathe, but they drew closer, hands pawing at his arms and shoulders like he was a piece of meat. He hated it.

Rescue came in the form of his father's voice yelling at the animated crowd to give his son some breathing room. "Let the boy settle in!" He called out to them. "I'm sure Ben will hold court later and fill you all in on his latest adventures. But right now, I need to talk to my son. Get back to work."

Ben sighed with relief when the crowd began to reluctantly disperse. He endured a few more pats on the back, as well as a few adoring smiles from some of the women, before they left him alone with Han.

"Nothing changes, son." Han laughed as he threw his arm around Ben's neck and pulled his head down so he could ruffle his hair as if he was five years old or something.

Ben flinched at the contact. He was struggling to get used to the sudden popularity and the overwhelming display of affection from Han Solo. His own relationship with his father had been remote, and became further detached as he grew older when Han spent more and more time away from home.

"So, the tip worked out." Han grinned as he let go of Ben and clapped him on the shoulder. "Its good to have the old girl back." He sighed wistfully as he looked in the direction of the Millennium falcon. "Chewie will be pleased."

As soon as Han mentioned the Wookie by name, Chewbacca appeared, roaring in delight when he saw the Falcon. He rushed over to Ben and wrapped his furry arms around him, literally hauling him off his feet as he gave him a fierce hug.

"Alright, Chewie, let the boy breathe." Han rolled his eyes at Chewbacca's exuberant display. The Wookie set Ben down before striding over to the Falcon and disappearing up the ramp to inspect the ship for damage.

Han chuckled as he put his hand on Ben's shoulder again and steered him toward the Raddus, the MC85 Star cruiser that served as the flagship of the resistance fleet. Ben ignored his father as he looked around for Rey.

"Where are you?" He called out to her in his mind.

"With Finn." Rey's response came like a soft sigh. "He's taking me to see Leia. He really doesn't trust me." She sounded rather said, Finn was supposed to be her friend, not his. The sudden role reversal was taking its toll on both of them. Here Rey was the outsider and he was the golden boy.

"Hold on, Rey. I'll be with you soon." Ben promised. His shoulders relaxed now he knew where she was. He tried to focus on Han who was talking to him in a low voice.

"You're not gonna get the same welcome from your mother, kid." Han warned him. "She's not happy that you went AWOL to get the Falcon back." He smirked as he tapped his chest. "Me…I'm ecstatic. I did try and reason with her, but I'm afraid she wasn't having it."

"Right." Ben braced himself for Leia's wrath. This welcome was going to be entirely different to the one he had experienced in his own time-line.

As he walked up the ramp with his father, he could hear raised voices. His mother, Leia's, was the most strident. She was giving Finn a serve for not following protocol and disobeying orders. Finn was doing his level best to defend himself but General Organa was not in a forgiving mood.

"Where is my son?" She demanded.

"He's here." Han called out when Ben's words got stuck in his throat.

Ben tried to prepare himself for his first glimpse of Leia in this world. His father looked pretty much the same, maybe not so many lines on his face. He appeared more happy-go-lucky in this world-much like the scoundrel he had been in his youth. In this universe he hadn't lost his only son to the dark side like his counterpart had. In fact, from the few facts Ben had managed to gather, it seemed the Ben Solo from this world was very much like his father. Ben didn't know how he felt about that. He wasn't sure he was going to be able to keep up the act. Finn was already suspicious, at the moment blaming Rey for the changes in his personality, and not attributing it to anything else.

"Ah, so there you are!" Leia said sarcastically as she swept into view. "Its no good hiding behind your father. Come here and let me look at you."

Ben felt Han shove him forward when he hesitated. Leia was holding out her hands toward him, although her expression remained stern. Ben was finding it difficult to breathe. Everything was just too overwhelming. He sucked in a deep breath as he took his mother's cool hands in his. He may tower over her, but she remained intimidating all the same. She was still the princess, her regal stance giving her away. Her abundant hair, now greying, was swept up into elaborate coils at the back of her head. She regarded Ben coolly, her brown eyes studying him closely, only a slight twitch of her lips showed she was pleased to see him.

"You continue to test my patience!" She scolded him.

"I'm sorry." Ben apologised as sincerely as he could. He hoped that would be enough.

Leia seemed confused by his apology, a frown marring her forehead as if she had expected him to put up a fight. "You can't keep skipping out on your responsibilities, Ben."

"I won't do it again." Ben murmured deferentially.

Leia's eyes opened wide as she regarded him thoughtfully. Ben winced as he realised, he was already screwing up. He wasn't giving her the expected reaction. "Good, I'm glad to hear it." She said after a long pause. "Now come here." She let go of his hands and embraced as much of him as she could. "I'm glad you're home." She murmured, closing her eyes.

"Me, too." Ben returned her hug, his own eyes closing as he tried to contain his emotions.

Leia took a few seconds to compose herself when she let him go. "Sit." She ordered him. "I'm getting a crick in my neck from looking up at you. Why did you have to get so tall?" The smiled that followed lit up her whole face, making her appear years younger. "And maybe you can introduce me to your young companion. Finn seems to be under the impression that she has you under some kind of spell." She quirked an eyebrow, showing how ridiculous she thought that idea was.

"That's not what quite what I meant, General." Finn muttered, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.

Han smirked. "Its most likely the other way around." He scoffed.

Leia rolled her eyes in her husband's direction before focusing her attention on Rey. "Can I ask your name?"

"I'm Rey." Rey answered politely.

"Rey?" Leia waited for her to expand on her name.

"Its just Rey." Rey's gaze darted nervously to Ben.

Ben could feel her trepidation flooding through their force bond. The soft panic began to grow as she became anxious about what was going to happen next. Ben immediately went to her side and reached for her hand. She hesitated before letting him take it, clearly worried about what Leia and Han would think. But Ben was past caring about that. Finn had already seen them kissing. It was pointless hiding their relationship. How they were going to explain it when they were supposed to only have just met was another matter. From the corner of his eye he saw Finn give his mother a look which clearly said- 'I told you so.' Ben scowled in annoyance.

"You can leave us now, Finn." Leia said when she noted the irritated look on her son's face. "I know Rose is anxious to see you."

"Of course." Finn's tone and expression softened at the mention of Rose. "I'll go and find her."

Leia waited until Finn had left the bridge before she spoke again. "So, explain to me again how you two met?" She asked carefully.

Ben tightened his fingers around Rey's when he felt her tense. "I thought Finn had already told you."

"He did… but I want to hear your version." Leia levelled her gaze with Ben's.

"On Jakku." Ben explained with a shrug. "I got stranded in the desert and Rey found me."

Leia's knowing gaze drifted to Rey. "And what were you doing on Jakku?" She asked Rey.

Rey kept her breathing slow as she tried to cover up her rising panic. Leia was suspicious, she could sense it. "I live there."

Leia's reaction was a slight widening of her eyes. "Were you born there?"

"Why are you interrogating her?" Ben cut in. He knew how painful it was for Rey to talk about her past.

"Ben!" Han chided him as he came up to stand behind his wife and put his hands on her shoulders.

Leia sagged against Han for support. "It's okay." She said, smiling up at him briefly to reassure him. She turned back to Rey. "I apologise, Rey. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"I'm fine." Rey said quietly. "I understand. You don't know me. Of course, you have questions."

"Rey." Ben squeezed her fingers. She was always so forgiving. "You don't have to."

Rey squeezed his hand back to show she was coping. "I was left on Jakku when I was very young. I survived by scavenging parts from the junk fields of the Starship Graveyard. I sold the parts I scavenged to Unkar Plutt-the Falcon was under his ownership. I was scavenging when I came across your son lost in the desert."

"You were abandoned on Jakku?" Leia's hand was at her throat. "What happened to your mother?"

"I don't…" Rey tried to keep her breathing even. So long as she appeared nonchalant, no pinkness in her cheeks to betray her, everything would be fine. She felt Ben move closer, almost as if he was trying to shield her from the emotional pain which Leia's questions had unleashed inside her. His protective presence was comforting but did little to ease the tightness in her chest. "I don't know what happened to my parents." She faltered.

"Can we stop with the questions now?" Ben stated harshly as he looked at his parents.

Leia nodded. She appeared shaken. She turned to face Han and put a hand on his chest. "Contact Luke. Tell him he needs to come back right now. Tell him…" She paused, her compassionate gaze darting to Rey. "Tell him it's as he predicted…they've found each other."

A/N-thanks for reading! Please review!