Endor

The hatch opens, revealing warm sunlight shining down on the opening in the trees. It plays off ferns and moss, glinting with early afternoon brightness. They've landed facing the Rebel base, and through the other ships that clutter the clearing, there is a small array of buildings built low to the ground. The trees of Endor rise around them, providing quite a bit of cover.

Two men are approaching their ship rapidly. Jeyna recognizes one as the pilot, Poe Dameron. She doesn't know the other man, but she knows the looks on both of their faces. Equal parts alarmed and on guard, they both have blasters at the ready.

Luke stops Ben at the top of the ramp. "I might regret this," he says hesitantly, before reaching for his belt, unclipping something from inside of his heavy robe. "But it doesn't feel like I should have this any longer. Maybe I was only keeping it for you."

Jeyna's eyebrows shoot up at the sight of the silver handle, and she watches as Ben takes it tentatively. He turns it over, recognition flashing in his eyes.

"You're giving it to me?" he asks his uncle doubtfully, eyes narrowed. He looks down at the lightsaber as if it's a trap, and Luke will snatch it back at any moment. Jeyna's curiosity is piqued as she wonders where it came from. It looks distinctly different from the handle of Luke's green saber.

Luke nods once. "I think you might need it. Just don't let her blow this one up, too," he says, shooting an accusatory look at Jeyna. She returns it with a sour expression, the topic still a sore spot for her.

"Don't think the fighting is over yet, Ben," Luke suggests, starting down the ramp once more.

Poe and the other man have arrived, lingering on the ground. Both are staring up at Ben. While the other man just looks wary, Poe looks infuriated at the sight of him. Jeyna supposes Poe is holding on to a grudge, having been left unconscious on a beach the last time they ran into each other.

"What are you looking at? It's just my nephew," Luke says to them, tone snarky as he passes them by. The one Jeyna doesn't recognize looks horrified, his eyes widening as he murmurs a little too loudly to Poe, "Isn't his nephew Kylo Ren?!"

Poe nods, not answering. It's barely detectable when his weapon twitches upwards, towards them. But Ben sees it, and growls all the same. "Are you going to try to shoot me again? That worked out well for you last time," he says, sarcasm soaking his words. Jeyna follows him down off the ship, trying to ignore the way Poe's eyes jerk between her and Ben, struggling to make sense of Kylo Ren's appearance at a Rebel outpost. It must be hard for him to understand why Luke had been so casual about it. Poe looks frozen with indecision as they pass.

"Hey," he calls finally after their backs. "HEY! I don't know what's going on here, but-"

Jeyna stops walking when she sees Ben's body go rigid, his hands instantly forming into fists. But it's not Poe's words that seem to be affecting him. Looking up, she catches sight of Leia coming towards them.

"It's alright, Poe," the older woman calls. Jeyna chances a glance, and sees that despite the General's assurances, neither of the men have relaxed.

Leia stops a few feet in front of them, her eyes locked on Ben. He stares back, face devoid of emotion. The only signs of the storm raging in him are his clenched hands, and the wild surges of energy coming to Jeyna through their bond.

Leia's gaze is surprised, but as Jeyna watches it slowly fills with affection and relief. "I didn't know if I would ever see you again," Leia admits, voice tender with emotion.

Jeyna tries to repress a gasp as she feels a wave of pain wash through Ben at the words. But as silent and frozen as he appears, his eyes are nearly pleading. Leia give Jeyna a quick smile. "It's nice to see you again, Jeyna," she greets. Jeyna murmurs a hello back, but Leia barely seems to hear it. She's examining Ben critically, trying to assure her eyes that he is real.

"You're so tall," Leia comments, giving him a small, hesitant smile. "I suppose that happens when you grow up. I'm so happy to see you, Ben."

"I'm not joining the Resistance," he spits out quickly, as if forcing himself to get it out of the way. Jeyna grimaces to herself at his lack of eloquence, wishing he would've eased into it. But she can tell he's struggling, barely coping with seeing his mother again. She tries to send her own calm energy through the link, and is surprised when she feels it pulled. It's almost like he's grabbed onto it, using it as a lifeline.

Leia's smile falls slightly, but her eyes still take in Ben like she's trying to memorize the sight of him now, changed into a man after all the years they were separated. The love on Leia's face turns fierce, determined. "That's alright," she says quietly. "Are you okay, Ben?"

Ben physically recoils at the question, as though his mother's concern for him stings. "I'm…better," he says, the harshness finally leaching from his voice. "I'm better now," he repeats.

Jeyna is distracted when she hears Poe answering his comm link a short distance away from them, voice low and urgent.

"That's all I want," Leia says, voice breaking with emotion until she tries to regain calm. "All I want is for you to be okay. Even if you don't come back to me. I just want you to be safe, and happy, wherever you go."

Though the hurt in her voice is plain at the thought of her son not wanting their relationship back, the truth is also obvious. She's spent so long worrying over his wellbeing, that she would be content to just know he is going to be alright.

Jeyna looks to Ben, feeling that pull through the force as he depends on her for balance. He looks close to faltering, his walls wearing down as he faces his mother's love. His lips quiver as he admits finally, "I'm not going back to the First Order. I was born into this mess…and now I just want to be free of it. I want my own path."

Leia doesn't argue, doesn't even look disappointed. In fact, Jeyna has the bizarre sense that she is proud of her son in the moment. The glint in her eye almost looks encouraging, the small smile returning.

"Then you should walk your own path, son," she agrees, voice reassuring.

The feeling from Ben is instantaneous, Leia's words soothing his soul, calming the storm of uncertainty that had been raging inside him. Jeyna breathes easier, relieved at the tentative progress they've made. It's short lived, however.

"General," Poe calls. "I'm sorry to interrupt whatever… This is. But we have a situation that we need to deal with, now."

Leia only spares a minute glance at the pilot before returning her eyes to Ben. The vulnerability that is now plain on her son's face seems to reassure her, and she comes forward, crossing the last few steps between them. She pulls him down into an embrace, and Jeyna is surprised to see him hunch obediently to accommodate her much smaller stature.

His eyes fleet closed for just a moment, his face relaxing. But all too soon it is over, and Leia frees him from her arms. She reaches up to lay a hand on his cheek, and Jeyna feels her eyes well with tears from emotions that don't belong to her.

"I love you, Ben," Leia tells him. "I love you wherever you are, and whatever you do."

There is static from the commlink, and Poe's voice is again urgently speaking into it. Jeyna catches bits of the conversation, and can make out that there is a situation with the First Order. Have they already found a leader to replace Ben? Has Hux taken control of the fleet?

Leia's calm voice recaptures Jeyna's attention. "Now go find your own path," she tells her son, smiling fiercely.

HyperSpace

They depart Endor moments before the Resistance ships start clearing out as well. Jeyna was curious, but from the snippets she'd caught from Poe, it sounded like the Rebels had gained an edge recently. Perhaps Ben leaving them without a Supreme Leader had crippled the First Order? Or perhaps the spy who had been leaking information to the Resistance was taking a toll?

She refrains from asking Ben about it, content to let things settle for the moment between them. They've both been through a lot, and could use a moment of peace together.

Ben jumps to hyperspace, and Jeyna immediately lunges forward in the copilot's seat to bury her face in her hands. The blurring of hyperspace outside the cockpit nauseates her, but she's surprised when her knee knocks into a panel beneath the dash. The whole thing comes loose, spilling a bizarre assortment of items onto the floor. Is it a hidden compartment?

She paws through the collection uncertainly, before holding up what looks like a heavily modified blaster.

Ben puts his father's ship into autopilot before looking over. His gaze turns alarmed when he sees her holding the weapon. "Be careful with that," he warns, standing up to come closer.

Jeyna shuffles the weapon aside. "I know. Aleck trained me with blasters, remember?"

"Your aim did seem to be better," he agrees. She remembers the Knight on Nathema, the one she'd managed to hit in the throat. The memory sends an unpleasant feeling drifting through her belly, and she returns her attention to the other items to distract from it.

She picks up a pair of golden dice, held together by a chain.

Ben's sigh is audible, and he crouches down next to her, both of their bodies squeezed into the small space. She holds the dice out to him hesitantly, and he takes them in his hand, eyes haunted.

"Are they your father's, too?" Jeyna asks quietly, unsure if she should press. He nods.

"He was gambling with them when he won this ship," Ben tells her. "He used to let me play with them, when he was flying… I wanted to be like him. A pilot."

"You are a very good pilot," she compliments him truthfully. "I only feel a little bit sick when you fly. As opposed to a lot, with anyone else."

He smiles reluctantly, before holding his hand out and letting the dice drop. They land back on the pile of random items, near what looks suspiciously like an old cannister of spice. She supposes if his father were a smuggler, illegally modified blasters and illicit drugs wouldn't be a surprising stash on the ship.

"It doesn't matter. I don't want to be anything like him now," Ben says.

Hearing the reluctance in his voice, Jeyna tries to change the subject. "What is this ship called, anyway?" she wonders.

Ben stands, retreating from the pile of memories. "The Millennium Falcon."

Jeyna joins him by the navigation chart. "And where are we taking the Millennium Falcon?"

Ben looks at her, something in his gaze shifting to predatory. "Anywhere. Where do you want to go?" he asks.

She hesitates to answer, unsure of what she had been considering suggesting. The silence seems to goad him on, and he cocks his head slightly while watching her think. Ben presses forward, and she only needs to match it with two steps back before she is against the wall of the cockpit. His hands raise to the metal on either side of her head, pinning her in.

Her heart beats faster at his rapid change in mood, recalling when he'd once threatened to take her back to the planet with the beach. Her body grows aroused just at the thought of what he'd intended to do with her there. "Well I had an idea, but…I'm not sure if we need to, now," she explains. Her breath catches when he tilts her face up, his gaze intense.

"Oh? What was your idea?" he pushes.

Jeyna licks her lips, distracted by the seductive tone of his question. His eyes drop to her mouth, drawn by the small motion. "Dantooine," she stutters out. "I saw a cave there, when I was looking for the-the first holocron-" She pauses what she's saying when Ben tilts his head, his mouth finding the tender skin of her neck and covering it in kisses. "It had-Ben," she groans lightly when he bites her, the pressure bordering between pleasure and the beginning of pain. He soothes over the spot with his tongue, and she breathes out in a rapid exhale.

"It had what?" he asks, murmuring against her neck. "Tell me." His hands fall to her shirt, tugging it up to slide underneath. At the feeling of his warm fingers grazing over her skin, she shivers with excitement.

"Crystals," she sighs. "Kyber crystals."

"Mm," he mumbles, and she jerks when he finds one of her nipples, his thumb playing with the bud. It shoots a tendril of pleasure straight to her core. She moans, the tension of how long they've been denying themselves rushing back into her body. Jeyna's muscles are taut with desire, even as her head feels like it's swimming.

"Do you know how long I've waited?" Ben asks, his voice a hoarse whisper, and she swallows with nervousness. Jeyna can perceive the lust coming from him, it's burning her up like a blaze. But she can tell he means something more than that.

Then his lips meet hers, and their emotions are surging, feeding into the fire that's been left unattended for too long. He lifts her up against the wall, hands on her thighs, and she clings to his neck, her legs wrapping tightly around him. Their bodies are pressed close, but it's not enough.

He claims her lips, her tongue, taking control of her mouth. And she relents, loving the taste of him, letting him kiss her until her lips are deliciously swollen. She moans into him, and the connection lets her feel the thrill of pleasure it shoots through his body. It triggers a similar effect in hers, a chain reaction that makes their kisses turn hungry, needy.

He pulls away, panting, and she opens her eyes to find his. Pleasure builds in her at the sight, just his wild eyes enough to stir her lust. "I'm sorry," he breathes.

She parts her lips, running her tongue over the skin, trying to recapture the taste of him. "For what?" she asks finally, realizing her arms are trembling around his neck. Her body feels like it's vibrating, her mind slow to understand what he means.

Her heart races when he says slowly, his voice dropping roughly, "I can't wait any longer."