The last time he held Rey this close, all life had been drained from her slender body. Now, she was very much alive, body shivering from the cold, emotions radiating off her and piercing through the force.
Ben opened his mind, reaching through their bond to feel everything she was going through. Cold, fear, fright, sadness, despair...
He sat on the cold cave floor while she lay curled in between his legs, her head tucked into the crook of his neck. Her soaking hair chilled the skin under his shirt as the water began to seep through. He felt her squeeze her eyes shut as she wrapped her arms around his torso.
Ben held her tighter then, resting his chin on her head, not caring about the dampness. He tried to transfer every bit of warmth he had to her.
He held her there for a few moments, rocking her slightly and saying nothing. He focused on her heart and breath through the force, listened as it slowed as she relaxed. Relief came over him as the force surrounding them stilled.
After a while, he ran his hand over the back of her head, tilting her face up to him until her eyes opened and met his.
"What is it? What did you see?" He stared intently down at her, willing her to open up to him. His days of delving into her mind uninvited were over, dyad or no dyad.
When she didn't respond, he moved his hand to her chin, grasping it gently and holding her eyes on his, "Rey, please." He ran his thumb across her cheek. "I feel it too, share it with me."
She didn't have to go through this alone, but she was so damn stubborn. Ben reached out through the force, caressing her mind, pushing warmth and comfort to her as he took on as much of her pain as he could.
Her glistening eyes relaxed as she took in a deep inhale and slowly exhaled.
"A child." She swallowed, closing her eyes and shaking her head in his hand, "I don't know who, or what, but I'm sure of it."
Ben was silent, searching her eyes as he let her continue. He pushed slightly into her head and when she didn't protest, he moved forward, sensing what she had seen.
"And...someone, something, killed the youngling." Her brows furrowed, "I was supposed to save the child but I failed."
Ben was gently in her head now and he felt every ounce of horror she had experienced at that moment. It was a terrible scene.
"You failed at nothing." Ben shook his head, keeping his eyes on hers, "It was a vision. The dark side is cryptic, shows you what you're most afraid of."
She closed her eyes and exhaled a deep breath again, nodding her head, "I know, I know...it just felt so real."
Ben looked up and scanned the cave.
"The dark side tends to manifest and thrive in cold, dark places...like this." He looked back down at her, "And typically, it involves mirrors to form an illusion. The first vision you saw here, when you asked to see your parents...was it nearby?"
Realization crossed Rey's face as she remembered her vision from nearly a year prior, "Y-yes. In a place, just like this." She blinked rapidly.
His brow furrowed as he felt a sense of protectiveness come over him. He pulled her head back to him and squeezed her tighter.
"You're safe now." He took in a deep breath, rubbing her arm again in a feeble attempt to warm her wet skin. "You're freezing. Let's get you dressed and get out of here." Ben stood, keeping his hands on the sides of her arms as he pulled her to her feet.
Rey tucked the towel tighter around the top of her breasts as she stared up at him, "Ben. Thank you. You...came at just the right time...how did you-?"
Ben tapped a finger to his forehead, "Perks of a dyad, Rey. You're not hard to find anymore."
Rey smiled and laughed, winking, "You're still hard to get rid of."
Seeing the smile return to her face filled him with relief.
Ben grinned down at her then looked past her shoulder where her clean clothes lay waiting. She turned, gathering the clean cloth in her hands then turned slowly back to him.
Rey stared at him with wide eyes for a moment, keeping the towel wrapped tightly around her. She shifted her weight and cleared her throat.
Ben's eyes widened and he turned around briskly, crossing his arms and crunching the bones in his hands together.
Once his back was turned, he heard her slip off the towel as she quickly dressed. He listened as she clicked the leather belt around her waist and snapped his mother's saber to her side. She shuffled across the ground as she wedged on her boots.
Rey sighed, then brushed past him as she walked, now fully clothed, "Let's get the hell out of here."
Ben smiled in agreement as he followed quickly behind her, watching the way her hips swayed with every step. She had no idea how beautiful she looked to him, especially with her hair loose and damp like it was.
Her outfit was similar to what he had seen her wear on Kijimi, Kef Bir, and Exegol. Crisp white fabric, regal, tight fitting and flowing.
When they approached the village, Rey suddenly spoke as if remembering something.
"Ah! I can't believe I forgot. I have something for you, something from the resistance base."
Ben looked at her as they walked, curious.
What could she possibly have for me from the resistance?
Ben followed her inside Luke's hut where she quickly squatted down to her large bag of belongings from her trip to Ajan Kloss. She dug around the bag frantically as she searched. He stood behind her, waiting patiently.
She suddenly found what she was looking for as she ripped her arm out of the bag. "Ah-ha! Here we are." She held the small object in her fist, Ben still unable to make out what it was.
She rose to her feet and turned, walking towards him. She extended her arm as she passed the object into his hand.
Ben immediately recognized it. He turned the small ring in his hands, mouth gaping slightly. It was his mother's Alderaanian signet ring he had seen her wear for as long as he could remember. It was a beautiful, gold band that twisted in two directions, with two twin midnight blue stones at either end.
Ben gasped slightly at the memories that filled his head from seeing the ring again.
Rey stood in front of him, silently waiting as he absorbed the gift.
"Your mother gave it to me just before I traveled to Exegol." She smiled and shook her head, "I swear, it was as if Leia knew we'd find each other and you would turn...anyways, she would have wanted you to have it."
Ben let out a shaky breath, holding back tears that threatened to boil over.
He smiled down at the ring, "I never saw Mom without this on." He let out a shaky laugh, "It brings back so many memories..." Ben closed his fist gently around the ring and looked down at her, "Thank you, Rey."
He gazed upon Rey's face, lit with a dim, orange glow from the small, flickering fire inside the hut. She said nothing as she gazed back up at him, smiling softly.
He felt a strange pull towards her, like he was a moon trapped in her orbit. Rey inhaled slightly as Ben took a careful step toward her. He lowered his hand, pocketing the precious ring.
Ben let his actions flow freely, doing what felt natural to him. He never took his eyes off her as he took another step towards her. Rey didn't move as her head tilted slightly back to maintain eye contact with him.
A smile began to pull at her lips, luring him in even closer. He slowly raised his hand to her cheek, caressing it softly. Rey closed her eyes then and leaned her head into his hand.
Her skin seemed to radiate electricity under his touch. It made his breath quiver and heart beat quicken.
"Rey..." Ben breathed.
Rey's eyes opened in response. She looked up at him, expectantly. Ben slid his fingers behind her neck as he craned her head upwards. He leaned down, slowly bringing his face closer to hers.
Ben met her lips with his, so soft and tender. It had been too long since he had kissed her, and he was tired of waiting. He couldn't anymore.
Rey seemed to melt under him.
He opened his eyes and pulled back slightly to meet her gaze. Rey's eyes remained closed, her lips parted as she breathed.
But Ben was not ready to let her out of his grasp as he felt himself wanting more. He could sense Rey's desire radiate off of her as well. He kept his hand around her neck and snaked his other arm around her waist, pulled her back to him.
He kissed her soft at first, then harder as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her. Her chest and torso were pressed to him and he could feel her body mold against his.
Ben wanted more, and he wanted to explore her further as his carnal desires overcame him. He carefully parted his mouth, running his tongue against her lips. She accepted his invitation as she parted her lips in response.
He crushed her closer to him as he tasted her with a deep kiss, his entire body on fire.
Finally.
He felt her breath and heart quicken as they explored each other. Ben let out a groan as she delved further in his mouth. He wrapped his arms completely around her waist and lifted her up so her face was level with his. He cracked an eye open and spotted the table in the center of the hut directly behind her.
Rey laughed against his mouth as he lifted her higher and plopped her down on the table. She willingly parted her legs and wrapped them tight around his waist, pulling him closer to her.
He couldn't escape her hold even if he wanted to.
His hands rested just above her bottom as he continued to kiss her, never wanting this moment to end. Their bond was on fire, the force dancing around them in crackling electricity. The sensation of the moment was doubled as he felt her pleasure coupled with his.
He broke away from her mouth and kissed down her bare neck as she bent her head backwards, inviting him to explore her further. Her hands tangled in his hair and she let out a small moan as his tongue worked against the soft skin of her neck. Ben's fingers dug into her back in response to the sound she made and he groaned against her neck.
Oh, Force...
He continued to trail her neck with kisses, tasting the sweetness of her skin. He brought a hand to her shoulder, pulling the fabric of her tunic away, exposing the skin of her collarbones.
So many parts of her body that he had always seen but had only dreamed about exploring, and now here he was, relishing in the taste of her.
He continued to kiss her there, enjoying the way her chest heaved in response to him.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door and C-3PO's voice spoke behind it.
"Miss Rey, sorry to bother, but there is an important-"
Ben tore his face away from Rey, frustration fueling him, and flung his hand outward towards the door. The force flowed through him instantly as he deactivated the droid behind the door, shutting him up.
"Ben! You can't just-"
Rey protested but he turned back to her and crashed his lips back to hers. She groaned and giggled against his mouth, surrendering to him as he lifted her off the table and turned her towards the bed.
