Rey felt a sharp spike of arousal, and she desperately wished that she could rub her thighs together for some friction. But then she came to a realization that if she felt that, Ben probably would too. The bond grew hazy and she knew Ben had put up walls. She'd been dreaming, oh choobies, she'd been dreaming of kissing him. She'd been staring at his face, and his full lips for some time while he was holding her, and the warmth of his arms, his piercing looks from his soulful eyes. And that translated into her dream. Rey wonders if he saw, and was of two minds. If he did see, then maybe it would give him ideas and she could see if his lips were as soft as she'd imagined, and the other part of her was embarrassed because what if he didn't see her that way. Rey knew they were connected by this bond, but she didn't know if they just shared feelings and thoughts or if there were other implications.
Feelings of shame and frustration seeped through the walls Ben had tried to erect to Rey, so she reached out and soothed the thread where they connected. She just hoped that the shame wasn't because of her, bouncing off of her into him and back to her. She was confused how this all worked, but she didn't want to make him uncomfortable.
She heard voices and forced her eyes to open and they met with Ben's who was sitting at the foot of her bed. He did not look comfortable the way one of his legs was drawn to his chest and the other spread out and at a weird angle. He smiled and shifted again, trying to hide a grimace. Are you in pain? She asked and he snorted. Moody, serious Ben snorted in laughter. She felt her own lips form a huge smile, though she had no idea what had him cracking up.
If only you knew Rey. Ben thought to himself, but then sent back I'm fine. Good morning, sleepyhead.
Rey blushed and broke eye contact, clearing her throat and turning her eyes to see where the voices were coming from. Luke, Leia, Han and a gigantic Wookie were all crammed into her med room, and it caused her to smile even bigger. Her life had made quite the turn to have all of these people, some legends in their own accord, crowd into her room, and be so concerned and wanting to help her.
"Something to share with the class, son?" Han quipped. He loved seeing his son in such good spirits. He couldn't remember the last time he'd heard Ben laugh, much less snort. He liked this girl, even if he couldn't stay, and had to try to get Leia back out and doing her job as well. Maybe Ben would come to like it here and be able to get control of his temper and his force… stuff.
Ben shot a smile to Han, but didn't answer. Instead he turned to Luke and asked "You said you found something?"
"Yes, the Jedi texts mention a few ancient artifacts I found interesting. One, an obelisk, that could help locate other force users, and sense how powerful they are from anywhere in the galaxy. That was fought over by the light and the dark for many years, and Palpatine was the last one rumored to have it. Another, an amulet, can be used to bridge the minds of other force users, to plant suggestions and make contact over great distances. It was considered a Sith artifact though it wasn't dark in and of itself, but often they were used for the dark that the Sith hoarded them away. It requires immense power to use that one, but it is kept guarded on a moon of Onderon because of the nature of the artifact. It requires immense power to use that one. I think that there's something that can counteract both of these. It can destroy their power no matter the distance but it is kept guarded on a moon of Onderon because of the nature of the artifact."
"Okay, Luke. Thanks for the history lesson, what can help Rey heal and keep my boy safe and in his right mind?" Han interjected. Ben didn't miss the scathing elbow Leia shoved into his side, but to Han's credit he only emitted a tiny grunt. Chewie let out a guttural noise of appreciation. Han was his best friend, but he loved it when Leia put him in his place.
"Well, I think that Rey is healing well on her own, it will just take a bit more time. I think that Ben is in his right mind, he just has someone in his mind. I think that this person used the obelisk to find someone as strong in the force as Ben, at a young age. And then I think they are using the amulet to speak to him and try to sway him to the dark."
"Is this the voice that you mentioned before, that no one has yet to explain to me," Leia demanded.
"A voice? Who is hearing a voice?" Han asked.
"Your son, you laserbrain!" Leia said, her voice raised. "Luke, how long have you known about this? It explains so much. My poor son. A powerful sith in his head? Force!" Leia had advanced on her brother and was all but screaming at him. Ben hadn't seen his mom lose her composure like this in years, and he almost felt sorry for his uncle. "How do we fix it?" She said, her voice cold, but even and quiet again.
"I'm not sure. But now that we know what we are dealing with, I think that I can help Ben and Rey with some meditation and tips on shielding. It won't be easy, but that is all I know for now. I need to…"
"Let me guess, do more reading?" Han finished. Ben quirked an eyebrow at his dad, surprised that even he had picked up Luke and his excuses when he didn't have all the pieces to fill in the puzzle but wasn't going to share until he understood. Or was desperate. And Ben hoped that the situation in his head, the voice… No the Sith, in his head didn't brainwash him, or invade and damage his mind. Ben shook off a cold chill and now that he was aware his erection had subsided, got up and moved closer to Rey.
Her eyes were wide and he could feel her fear, and her sorrow. "It's okay, Rey. We will figure this out. And I will do my best not to let the voice in, not to let it hurt you or dim your light." He took her hand gently into his, palm up and traced tiny, soothing circles.
"How long?" She asked.
"How long, what? Healing can take it's time, especially on brain injuries," Luke said.
"Not that, I'm getting better, I know it will just take time. How long has this Sith Lord been in your head?" She was appalled. "He was in my head for just a few minutes and I felt like I'd been violated, tainted. And the pain..." She shuddered just at the thought.
"As long as I can remember," he answered quietly. "At first, I thought that it was like that for everyone. But no one else had the constant headaches, and if I ever asked about hearing things, people got weird. Being sensitive to the force is one thing, but hearing voices? Someone having full out conversations that only you can hear? No one really understood. The closest I could find to what I was dealing with was a connection like Mom and Luke have. But that was different. An awareness of each other for sure, sometimes of great emotion from the other, or a word here or there."
Leia dropped her head in her hands, and started weeping. "Oh my boy. I remember you asking several times, and I… I didn't know how to answer. Beyond explaining the bond I had with Luke, and how you and I could talk at times. I didn't know what to do for you. I wish I would have known what he said to you, and not let you dodge the questions and dismiss what you were feeling and hearing."
Ben got up and awkwardly folded his mom into his arms. "It's not your fault," he whispered in her ear.
Everyone else averted their eyes and let mother and son have a moment.
