Star Wars: Ghost of a Dream

by Natasha Vera

It has been five years since the end of the war, but Jedi Master Rey Skywalker has found it difficult to move on. As the last remaining Jedi, her choices are limited with no one left to understand her. Then one night, she feels him, Ben Solo alive and breathing! She wants him back, but knows the path won't be easy. The new Republic is rising, and ghosts of the past refuse to sleep.

16. Chapter 16

Warnings:

Trigger warning: sexual assault

NSFW

This is the most powerful chapter I've written yet. I would greatly appreciate any feedback or commentary for the sake of accuracy on such a strong topic as the one I have presented to you, dear readers.

Chapter 16

Silence echoed throughout the Glitterati Quarter, the inhabitants sitting tensely in their lavish homes, some petting exotic animals only available by smuggling them into Courkrus. The sea breeze swayed over the manicured lawns and fluttered through the exotic trees, shaking their non-native fruit. Then, a Glitterati child lifted her chin. A sound, a soft tapping began beating like a heart. The softness was interrupted by a flute, whistling closer than the beating. The child stood from her mother's side and wrenched open the front door inlaid with mother-of-pearl and coloured glass.

King's First Wife, her dress splattered with blood, marched proudly through the Glitterati Quarter with seemingly the entire village of The Cove shouting and dancing behind her, brandishing bloody swords, and sweating through ceremonial armour. The child was pulled inside and the door closed and locked, but the sight remained and it stained the pristine quarter with a jubilant roar that frightened the Glitterati to their core.

SWSWSW

Rey clutched Ben's hand, but that didn't stop the crowd from jostling them forward, keeping them secured from running off and staying out of the celebration. That wasn't to say that they weren't celebrating themselves, but it was the option that Rey would have liked. They were heroes! She and Ben were the liberators of a tyrant and nothing they could say would change that.

They followed King's First Wife, now affectionately known as the Widow, through the Glitterati Quarter, a place where Rey had never been before. It was the closest to Naboo she had been in months! The sprawling domed houses, the wide gardens decorated with perfuming shrubs and trees bursting with fruit! Rey looked around the crowd, trying to find Rose, yearning for her to see this quarter. But, her friend was nowhere to be found. She looked up at Ben, seeing him attempt to shield them from a downpour of fizzy drink with his arm and his book, but didn't quite manage it.

Rey grabbed her dirty skirt and hastily helped him wipe the cover down, hoping that the contents hadn't smudged. He looked up at her with a look that said, 'Thanks.

She smiled back at him and cocked her head in a way she hoped conveyed, 'You're welcome.'

Just then, a shadow loomed over them, the shadow of King's Second Wife's house. From what Rey was able to gather from the walk from the plaza to here, the Widow had been given a house smaller than this, but upon the death of their only child and the eventual loss of her fertility, King married another wife and built this sprawling mansion for the two to co-exist in. The only problem was it was to his Second Wife's gaudy expectations without a care for his First Wife's wishes. The Widow stopped before the door and breathed deeply, her shoulders heaving.

She faced the crowd, and lifted her arms, calling for silence. In a wave, the crowd's raucous celebrations hushed, waiting for their new leader's first command.

'A great victory was won today!' She called, smiling. 'I have not been this happy in many, many years!'

Whoops of triumph resounded among them, but they were short-lived as the Widow still had more to say.

'I hesitate to remind you that my… former husband had a hand in arranging the annual raids upon our fair village, with an anticipated arrival happening anytime starting tomorrow to next month.'

A tension ripped through the crowd. Ben's arm around Rey's waist tightened and he glanced down at her. She smiled at him, at his protectiveness over her. Two lightsabres in their little family and he was still worried about his wife!

The Widow's smile returned with a small laugh, 'But for now, by the gods, we shall party!'

The crowd erupted in deafening roars, throwing up their hands and screaming their approval. The Widow turned and opened one door, then the other, and bowed before the crowd, letting them sweep into her lavish home.

SWSWSW

Rey held Ben's book open with one hand, her eyes absorbing as best they could the incredulous tale his immaculate handwriting had recorded. Honestly, how was his handwriting this perfect?! Was it a result of being in the World Between Worlds or had he practiced it to be this beautiful? She figured she could rip out any page and frame it and have it be the most beautiful work of art in a house as beautiful as the Widow's. Not for the first time she gasped and almost dropped the book, wrapping her arms around Ben's back, letting out a moan as he moved on top of her, his breath coming in scalding sheets upon her neck and almost reminding her of Titan Mi-Lor's ribbon sabre.

'Enjoying that?' Ben breathed into her ear, then kissed her temple and forehead, pecking her eye before kissing her lips.

She hummed a quick, 'Mhm,' and closed her eyes. She wanted to read! She wanted to know about his conversations with the Jedi Who Came Before, and with his mother, and with hers! But by the stars making love to her dashing husband was still so enjoyable it made choosing that much more difficult.

Slowly, she closed the book and shoved it under her pillow to find later. Ben seized the opportunity and clamped his hand down on her lifted arm, bringing her other one to rest her wrists on top of each other. Rey moaned, and opened her eyes, seeing his smiling face over hers. He grabbed her chin and kissed her, sliding his tongue into her mouth so that she almost choked. He wrenched his lips away, and his hips began moving faster, his thrust deepening, and his grunts becoming louder in her ear.

Oh no, he's not! Rey thought.

She ripped an arm away from his grasp, dug her nails into his shoulder and a foot into the bed and flipped them over so that she straddled him. She slapped his hands away, and moved her hips slowly, deliberately, making the muscle inside her stay firm for that much longer.

'Slow,' She gasped, letting him rest his hands on her thighs. 'We're going to savour this room, ah!' She inhaled, willing herself to finish speaking, 'For as long as possible!'

He chuckled, his body vibrating with his movement, and he leaned back onto the pillows watching his wife move on top of him.

The room was the Second Wife's bedroom that she shared with Titan Mi-Lor, one with doors and windows that overlooked the ocean, letting in the sun and salty sea breeze. She had been an elegant cat, having a rounded bed with a luxurious canopy overhang, a closet that was almost overflowing with dresses (Rey and Ben had ordered her dressmaker to leave the closet before taking advantage of the bed), and gold jewellery thickly encrusted with diamonds as well as Ben's fine pieces, none of which compared to the pieces he had made for Rey.

Ben sat up, tilting Rey back ever so slightly, making her legs splay out behind him. She clutched his shoulder, continuing her movement, and tried reaching back to steady herself, but he stopped her.

'I got you,' He whispered, wrapping his arms around her waist, the firmness of his limbs against her back and ribs seeming to add to her pleasure. 'I got you, don't worry.'

Rey had no choice but to interlock her fingers behind his neck and move faster, bobbing in front of him as though she was drowning and he was the only float. She kissed him, her eyes open to take in the glimmers of honey that ringed his onyx eyes, catching the faintest hint of purple as well.

'Why did you come back,' She huffed, her lips touching his. 'Why did you leave the World Between Worlds?'

'For you,' He whispered. 'I was still connected to you,' He closed his eyes and let out a satisfied grunt. 'You're my dyad,' He kissed her quickly, 'My soulmate, my everything.' He opened his eyes and seized the back of her head. 'My wife!'

They kissed, their excitement growing, bobbing against one another until all at once Rey shot her head back and cried out, Ben moaning into her throat. He pulled her forward past him, laying her stomach upon the bed and her face just missing the pillow as he nestled behind her, panting oh so desperately. He'd forgotten to pace himself!

Rey pulled his arms around her, leaning into his chest so that he rested his cheek against her temple.

'I love you,' She gasped, hoping he could hear her.

He kissed her shoulder and moved back to her ear, 'I know.' He kissed her just below the ear, 'I love you, too.'

Exhaustion overwhelmed them. From their restless wedding night to the revolt, to their celebratory lovemaking just now, they hadn't rested! Ben's breathing cooled her sweating body, his inhales and exhales coming slowly, deeply. Rey fluttered her eyes shut, and was sound asleep before she knew it.

SWSWSW

Ben stirred, lifting his head. Twilight poured through the bay windows, the giant pale-yellow moon bright as it hovered over the calm ocean. Rey sat beside him, his arm slung over her waist, her nose in his book, and gentle tears sliding down her face.

'What part are you on?' He grumbled, lifting his hand and wiping his face. He had drooled in his sleep, hopefully not on Rey.

'My mother,' She answered, her tears not hindering the clarity of her words. 'She took you under her wing.'

Ben frowned, and dropped her hand. He didn't remember! Why couldn't he remember so much…

'I don't remember that,' He told her. 'I don't remember a lot of it.'

'I know,' She told him, glancing at him, 'You write about that in detail. The feeling of being at peace, of not getting hungry, or of seeking your own fulfilment. You changed so much with only one page,' She lifted the tattered book. 'You figured that the desperation of keeping your body alive took so much of your memory.'

He nodded. He remembered writing that. He shifted onto his back, adjusting the blanket over his chest and tucking an arm behind his head.

'Read it out loud,' He told her. 'See if it can jog my memory.'

She paused to wipe the tears from her eyes before flipping back a few pages and cleared her throat:

'I met with my grandfather several times. He was overwhelmingly pleased to meet me, first bowing to me and greeting me as 'grandson' then later as Ben. First, he asked me of my childhood, listening to me as I spoke of my upbringing on Naboo and Courisant, asking in detail about my nurse droids and how I was able to disassemble them and reassemble them back to original form. He was not displeased when I told him I had chosen the dark side, but showed little disappointment when I emphasized that I wanted to be like his Sith persona Darth Vader. He offered me comfort and wisdom when the realization dawned upon me again that I had been manipulated by our master Palpatine into becoming the very thing I disliked with the greatest passion: a puppet.

'I have tried to recall my grandfather Anakin's words. I have called to him again, willing the Force to reveal to me the conversation had with perfect recall his words. All that comes to me is the feeling of his compassion and tenderness, but above all his patience. It grieves me to think that a man of his legacy held such compassion and forgiveness when my own parents did not show it to me until they saw me as their worst nightmare and only then worth rescuing.'

Rey's words faded to silence and he looked up at her, watching the book shrink from her hands.

'What's wrong?' He asked, looking at her.

'Our children,' She breathed. She looked down at him and inhaled so deeply he could see the bones on her chest and neck. 'Our children will be in great danger from the Sith when they are born.'

A chill settled over Ben's shoulders, but he pushed it away.

'I will not let any harm come to our children, Rey,' Ben vowed, sitting up. 'I promise.'

'We must learn from this,' She told him, lowering the book even more. 'Our parents might have failed our childhoods, but they can guide our parenthood! Even our marriage.'

Warmth flowed through Ben's chest and he sat up properly.

'I agree,' He told her. 'Up to a point, that is. We haven't met our kids, yet.'

'Yes, but,' Rey turned towards him, her lovely copper eyes dancing. 'Tenderness, compassion, listening. Those things my mother and your grandfather have in common and I've only read ten pages!' She lifted the book and set it down on the bed. 'Ben, if you promise to tell me everything, I promise I will listen and be compassionate to your feelings and be tender in my answer.'

Ben shot up straight, his breath catching in his throat. She was serious.

'Ben?' Rey asked. 'Talk to me, tell me what you're thinking.'

'Snoke,' He blurted. He rolled his eyes and corrected with a growl, 'Palpatine. They… he, punished me for speaking my feelings. I was to follow, not speak.'

'He's not here anymore, Ben,' Rey breathed, reaching out and touching his face so that sheer loving warmth emitted from her hand. 'We killed him. Our very existence, our very love is against Palpatine's wishes. Why stop at telling me what you really want?'

Ben looked at her, taking in the soft curve of her face, and the tail of chestnut that flowed from her scalp down her back. How he loved the thought of stroking that mane, but he had always held off on it. He felt his smile spread, her soft promise encouraging him to say:

'I really like it when you have your hair down. It makes you, even more beautiful.'

She smiled, her eyes studying his face. 'I like you in colours other than black. Black, brings back bad memories.'

'I don't know how to shop,' He chuckled. 'Black was always just the easiest thing to get.'

She giggled. 'I've always had my hair up. On Jakku, it was too hot to keep my hair down and I simply stayed with it.' She hesitated, looking away for a moment. 'I can wear it into a ponytail. Try something new.'

Ben smiled, showing her his teeth, 'I can find more colour.'

'I'd like that,' She laughed. 'I can help you.'

He kissed her, savouring her lips for only a moment before crawling out of bed (this bed was huge! He could lay on it spread eagle and still have room to wiggle around). He crossed the floor, welcoming the sea breeze on his body as he moved towards the bureau where he could imagine the Second Wife sitting for hours grooming herself. Resting on the surface was a lovely silver-handled comb, brush, and unbroken mirror.

He collected them, the silver heavy and clinking against each other as he moved back to the bed.

'Start with these,' He grinned, setting them down on the silk bedsheets. 'I don't think she'll use them anymore.'

Rey scoffed and pressed a hand to her mouth looking down at the set. Slowly, she reached out and pressed a broken nail to the silver comb. Ben picked up the brush and pushed the Second Wife's blonde hair from it, tossing it to the floor. He moved next to her, and gently took a lock of chestnut, then slowly began brushing it. She sat stock-still, a smile on her face as she felt his hands and the brush smooth out her tangled mane.

When was the last time she'd felt someone brush her hair? Ben remembered his father rustling his hair, and of course Snoke grabbing his hair and wrenching his head back to sneer at him. But Rey, how young had she been when her mother last combed and fixed her hair only for Rey to take it down for the first time? By the stars, he would make sure that if they should be blessed with a daughter, Rey would be there to dress her wedding hair when the time came.

Rey dressed in a simple dress that wrapped around her body and looked like it was made from blue mother-of-pearl found in the Second Wife's closet. Ben donned a blue shirt and grey trousers he found in Titan Mi-Lor's ridiculously small section. Rey topped her look with two things: a puffy high ponytail that trailed down her back, and seemingly every piece of jewellery Ben had ever sold the previous inhabitant. One attempt to feel the Force for her feelings made him chuckle. She was reclaiming his talent from one as despicable as the Second Wife.

Once she had secured his book and her new bush and comb in her dirty wedding dress, Ben held out his hand to her, a portion of his mind remembering Kylo Ren begging her to even look at him with love. She pranced towards him, and took his hand, her fingers sliding into his.

They walked down the elegant steps, the sight of such a mansion reminding Ben of his star destroyer many years ago with its pristine cleanliness, high arching ceilings, lights that glowed from the floors along the walls, and echoing corridors. The only difference this time was that the pirates who had been allowed in drank expensive liquor from the cellars and laughed and vomited on the fine sofas and chairs. Others took the valuable gold jewellery and other collectable smuggled goods and hurried outside to the night. The Widow herself was pinned against a wall with her lover, gritting her teeth and enjoying her newfound freedom out in the open for everyone to see.

He felt Rey stiffen beside him. She'd never seen such debauchery and to be honest, neither had Ben either as himself or as Kylo Ren. Oh, he knew what was happening on board a ship after a successful bounty, but they had some sense of decorum, unlike this lot. He hurried them through, wrapping his arm around her shoulders to block her view of the worst offenders, though he could do nothing about the smell.

They walked out into the cool evening… and were greeted by the revels of those celebrating the new Announcement Day in much the same manner as those privileged to be inside the mansion had. Ben shook his head. This sort usually waited until midnight to come out. Unanimously, they turned towards the ocean pathway, Ben leading the way down the hundred or so stone steps to the sugary sand, holding Rey's hand behind him as he went.

The moment their shoes touched the beach and their eyes swept the almost undisturbed surf, they both lifted their heads feeling it. Darkness descended upon the beach so strongly that if Ben hadn't been holding Rey's hand, he would have sworn he was Kylo Ren once again. It pierced his chest, beckoning him forward, pressing on his nerves encouraging his rage to come forward so that what smile he had melted away until he knew that his face was as expressionless as a black mask.

Rey's hand tightened in his, turning his head to her. She stared, eyes wide and lips slightly parted as her head began twitching ever so slightly as though she was trying to hear something from a distance.

'Rey!' Ben breathed, feeling the last of the Light leaving his body as he spoke. 'Rey, you can't be here.'

His rage surged within him like fuel to a flame. He shouldn't have brought her down here! He knew there was a darkness to this portion of the beach! He didn't know what it was exactly because he always stayed away from it and had no reason to come to the Glitterati beach, but now, seeing his wife shuffle towards the thick darkness, he couldn't believe he had been so naïve as to not solve this darkness before the real danger arrived. The real danger of his darkness born wife hearing the call of her people. In the recesses of his mind, the lapping of the waves shifted from innocence to the sound of Snoke's elegant gold robes sliding towards him over a pristine floor.

'What is that?' Rey murmured, stepping closer.

Ben turned back to the darkening call. He knew that emptiness. He knew that hatred, and that burning, roiling rage.

'It's the Sith,' He whispered.

'They're calling me,' Rey breathed, equal to his shoulders now, her nails digging into his hands as she leaned forward.

Light, a spark from a flintstone illuminated in Ben's core. Hope! The Force was calling to him, encouraging him to explore the call of Rey's name.

'What are they calling you?' He implored, pulling her hand to his chest feeling a glimmer of her warmth. 'Sweetheart, what are they calling you?'

She inhaled, her ponytail shredding in the sea breeze.

'They're saying, "Reyviana is home."'

Ben inhaled, the light burning brighter within him.

'Who?'

Rey blinked, her foot sliding to a stop and leaving a line in the sand.

'"Reyviana,"' She repeated. She shook her head, and blinked more. 'That's not my name.'

Ben smiled, the call of the darkness receding from his face just enough to smirk. A smirk just for her.

'What is your name?' He demanded, watching her copper eyes shimmer. 'Say it. Say it out loud!'

She inhaled, her body emphasizing the movement.

'My name,' She began, but Ben interrupted her.

'Louder!' He shouted. 'Louder so that the whole galaxy can hear you!'

She blinked again, and shook her head. Ben felt it the moment it happened because it happened within him, too. Whatever chained them, whatever held them down and beckoned them forward broke with the simplest click.

'MY NAME IS REY SOLO!' She screamed. She inhaled, and clutched his chest, her eyes fixed to the darkness. 'I AM THE WIFE OF BEN SOLO! I AM A JEDI! I DO NOT BELONG TO THE SITH!'

Her voice clashed against the waves, but that was not where it was the loudest. No, Ben felt with a harsh ferocity within the Force her Wookiee roar against those who called to them. The Light had returned to her! The hope of a newfound life with him by her side!

Ben gasped, and he blinked. The image of his firm, screaming wife had shifted so quickly that he planted his feet and blinked around the beach, confused. Rey cried in front of him, her feet digging into the sand as she yanked on his hand, drawing him from the call. Her bundle of dress and comb set had been thrown down into the sand, in favour of her near-death grip on his wrist.

'Come on, Ben,' She urged. 'Come with me. Come home to me!'

He didn't want to. His first urge, his first itch was to lift his free hand and bring it down across her face. He remembered, oh did he remember the blinding fury, the insatiable hunger to kill, and the sweet release when it was done! He could do it to her. She was only strong with a lightsabre, though she could put up a decent fight. He could overpower her through years of hand-to-hand combat training. He could even drown her.

No! A thought dared to echo in his mind.

His foot slid forward, and he mashed his lips together. Rey's face was meant to be caressed. His lips were meant to be kissed by her, and her wrists to be pinned above her head. He slid his other foot forward, pain shooting up his leg as he had forgotten to bend his joints. It didn't matter! He just needed to move away from the darkness! He'd done it once before! He'd done it alone. He wasn't alone anymore.

'That's it,' She gasped, 'That's it, keep coming with me!'

He took another step, her words bringing to mind the sweet memory of her breathy voice in his ear as they made love. That was what they did together, even when not intertwined in hot passion. They made love best when they were together, seeking to make the other happy.

The sweetness turned to ash when out of nowhere, the sight of Rey shifted and he saw her kneeling on the ground before him, exhausted and soaking wet, her face filled with so much despair that he could almost smile. He didn't. Instead, he propelled his other foot to shuffle forward, his boots digging into the sand, his knees twitching to remind him of their use.

'Come to me,' Rey breathed, her face wrought with concern for her aching limbs. 'Come with me, Ben. I'm not going to leave you, and you promised me you wouldn't leave me! Remember? You promised me you wouldn't leave me.'

Had he dreamed it? Had he imagined her screaming into the night? Was it him who the Darkness wanted, again? Snoke had warned him that he had an overactive imagination. That he was prone to make up his own fantasies. That's why he took to calligraphy so well as a boy. He could make the harsh world around him come to order, the harsh words solidify in his hands.

'No,' He breathed, his voice echoing in the Force. 'Not Snoke. Palpatine.'

Rey ran up to him and kissed him, pressing her lips to his and clutching his face with her hands. It was like the kiss she'd given him on Exegol! Her thanks to him for saving her life.

No, she wasn't grateful! She was in love! She loved him! She said so this very afternoon that she loved him, and she vowed to spend her life with him! He opened his mouth, and cupped the back of her head, stroking her long chestnut mane. She wore her hair like that because he had asked her to, and she had respected his wish.

He pulled away, leaned down, and swept her off her feet. Without a word, he strode with his bride in his arms along the beach, his heart set on their little home at the opposite end of the village. The furthest point away from the call of the Sith.

SWSWSW

Poe moved gingerly over the remnants of the revelries had the night before as he made his way down Merchants' Avenue. He, Rose, Finn, and BB-8 had stayed in the Captain's Canteen that night, determined to keep the place standing even as the craziness of the revolt danced around them, trying to get in, then moved on elsewhere. Now that the sun had come up, he figured it was a good a time as any to figure out what the hell happened to Rey and Ben after they had been jostled by the crowd to who-knew-where. He stepped around a body, trying not to play 'dead, alive, or otherwise' and looked up.

Ben's shop was closed, something that hadn't happened since the village found out what King had done. Perhaps that meant someone was in there?

He shrugged and trotted over, knocking on the door. Through the muted sound of his knuckles on the wood, he thought he heard a gentle moan. He looked behind him, seeing the figure of a woman tangled in hair, dress, and what could have been a man or a strand of kelp try to sit up, fail miserably and flop back down in the dust. He shook his head, suddenly reminded of the aftermath of the end of the war. There had been sentient corpses that morning as well, with Poe himself being found stark naked on his left side so that he couldn't choke on his vomit. Good times!

The door opened, revealing Ben wearing only trousers and wiping his face with a rag.

'Good morning,' Poe told him.

Ben lifted his eyes, registered that it was morning, then repeated the traditional greeting. 'Good morning.'

'What happened to you guys yesterday?' Poe asked. 'The last I saw of the two of you, you were being taken up by the crowd.'

'We were to be congratulated,' Ben half-smiled. 'We got back sometime after sundown and decided to,' He looked over Poe's shoulder and frowned, 'Eat here and hunker down for the night. Seemed safer. You guys?'

Poe opened his mouth to answer, but a movement within the shop caught his eye. His jaw dropped and his chest sputtered, reminding him to breathe. Rey stood up from her hammock bed, her head lolling onto her shoulders with a drowsy smile, wearing a copper necklace with three giant misshapen pearls falling one on top of the other between her breasts… and nothing else. Her hair draped over one shoulder, drawing his eyes to her soft breasts and carved stomach, her rounded bottom, and toned legs that seemingly stretched for miles. For what little time they had dated, Poe had not earned the right to see her in such a manner. Though, a small voice in his mind reminded him, he had seen one of her breasts one night. The last night they were a couple…

The reed curtain ripped the image away from Poe and a firm hand shoved him back, her massive husband stepping out of their home with dark eyes replacing what arousal Poe had been feeling to sheer embarrassment.

'Sorry!' He stammered. 'Sorry! So sorry!'

'You show her more respect!' Ben thundered, his voice echoing in the street.

Poe cocked his head to the right, 'She's a beauty, man.'

'She's my wife,' Ben growled, his tone dropping several octaves.

Poe pressed his hands together and looked away, noticing the scuff marks on Ben's knees. She had a better morning than he did, the voice taunted. 'A thousand apologies, Ben,' Poe stammered. 'If you could tell your wife that we are at the Canteen, we'd like to see you both when you're ready.'

'We'll be there later,' He growled, planting his feet.

Poe issued a quick thanks and scampered away, the image of the most beautiful woman he'd ever known searing into his mind.

SWSWSW

Rey covered herself with her dress, her back hunched, and her breathing coming slowly and with practice. She wanted to reach out to the small sink, to steady herself, but the thought of being so naked again when he might see her struck her with even more fear. She trembled, unable to move even as Ben drew back the reed curtain and set his hands on her back. She could only imagine what she looked like when he saw her.

'Sweetheart, I'm sorry!' He cooed, smoothing her back. 'I forgot to close the curtain, it won't happen again!'

'He saw me,' Rey choked, eyes wide and thoughts too wide to grasp. 'He saw me.'

'Rey?' Ben asked, fingers digging into her side. 'What's wrong?'

She squeezed her eyes shut, but all she could see was his gaping face as he admired her body. The faintest hint of horror as Ben slid the curtain shut.

'Just-just hold me!'

He pulled her into his chest, forcing her to straighten, but she held her dress closed almost to the point where a more survival prone voice wondered if her dress would tear under her grip. The warmer Ben's hands were upon her body, the less she cared about him seeing her, but that didn't matter. Poe had seen her! He had an image of her entire body, not just the bit he had taken that one time. He had her intimate portions in his mind now!

'What happened between the two of you?' Ben asked, turning her to look at him. 'I thought you two were friends but…'

He trailed off, the question lingering in the air.

Rey swallowed, and she adjusted her grip on her dress. 'We were, yes.'

Ben waited, giving her his undivided attention. There was no backing away, his arms around her comforted her and his eyes were soft searching for the truth. She sighed, her breath coming out in a broken huff.

'I tried… to move on,' She told him. 'After you… I tried.'

He nodded, encouraging her.

'Okay.'

She inhaled, aware that she had begun trembling once again. But she had to tell someone! She looked at his chin and the words bubbled out of her mouth.

'People got into relationships. They got married after the war. They left, they started businesses. They used what they learned to go into jobs. I…' She shifted her weight. 'I, accepted, an offer from Poe to, court him.' She looked up, half expecting him to jolt with shock or fury. But, he didn't. He stared down at her, waiting for her to finish. No, he was waiting for her to trust herself to tell someone the truth about The Incident.

'I… we, dated for about a month and then some. He was nice. He was charming. He seemed to know how it went. How to date, I mean. I… I didn't.' She swallowed, her mouth suddenly so dry it was like the entirety of Jakku was in her throat. She released her grip on her dress and flexed her hands, willing herself to go on.

'I missed you. It hit all of a sudden after the war. I-I kept feeling like, you were the one I was supposed to marry let alone get to know as intimately as Poe was trying to do. I…' She inhaled, shifting her weight. 'I wanted to stop seeing him as a boyfriend. We didn't… you know, but he was moving towards that and I…' She shook her head, her breathing coming in quicker breaths. 'I told him… I wanted to stop. At the very least, slow down. I-I shouldn't have, I know that-'

'Why?' Ben breathed, hands smoothing her side. 'You were telling him what you wanted. You were being truthful.'

Rey wanted to kiss him! She wanted to push him onto their hammock and make love to him. Anything to rid herself of this moment and this memory. But his gaze held her there, his need to know what she had gone through was too powerful to do anything more.

'The fleet all but vanished after the war,' She explained. 'People we knew, people we fought with, they disappeared into the peacetime like they had never been there. Trying to re-establish the Senate was not easy if there was no one there to enforce martial law, and the soldiers seemed to forget that while the main First Order was decimated, they still had many outposts and command officers that were still armed. It was, chaos.' She shook her head, remembering that time. She had truly developed her skill with a lightsabre, then. 'But the overall year of '03 was such a massive headache to those who remained, Ben. Even I was feeling it!'

She looked up at him. His patience remained, his thumbs mindlessly caressing her sides as he listened.

'When, I told him… I felt… I felt him feel that I was abandoning him, too. I wasn't, I was still committed to seeing that the Jedi had a place amongst the Senate. But… he… snapped. He got angry.'

A shift happened in Ben's eyes. The light that glinted with calm patience evaporated suddenly and his onyx eyes hardened. His thumbs stopped halfway through their rotation, and he almost seemed to grow before her.

'He did what?'

His voice was calm, but not the one that Rey wanted. She inhaled, the sound of her breath seeming to enlarge him more.

'It was nothing,' She told him quickly. 'I-I-I could handle it.'

'Handle. What?'

His shoulders moved as he breathed, reminding Rey of the foot fan he used to blow oxygen into his forge to encourage heat. Her mouth opened and closed, but the words faded over her tongue. She had to say something! She had to calm him down! He was already mad, and she didn't want to cause trouble! It was over, Poe had apologized! He could take the sight of her so long as she never had to talk about this ever again!

'He apologized,' She told him. 'He said he was sorry.'

'For what?'

She had to tell him. He wasn't going to let her go until she told him. She had promised to talk to him so any half-truths she uttered would only set a precedent. They needed to be honest with each other.

'He… he got angry. He said things. Things I know he didn't mean, but they hurt. Then… he…' She shivered, then cursed herself for shivering.

The forge fire wasn't imaginary anymore. Ben shifted, drawing closer to her, growing in front of her even as his gentle hands wrapped around her waist.

'Did he put his hands on you?'

Rey dropped her eyes to his chest, the closeness of him making her feel so warm and yet so small at the same time. It was sickening.

She nodded.

'Just his hands?'

'I can handle things myself,' She shot back, daring to look up at him for only a moment.

'Rey,' He growled, his hand moving from her waist to touch her chin, forcing her to look up at him. He was so gentle, and his face was so pleading for the truth how could she torture him? This was Ben! This was her husband! She was safest right here, in his arms.

She shook her head.

Ben gasped, the same sound as when she had stabbed him with his own lightsabre. He dropped his hand from her chin.

'He… tried to kiss me,' Her voice told him, 'We had already, but he… it wasn't… not then. He… he tore my shirt! Then he tried to touch me… He was so angry! He was so frustrated over nothing going right. He lost control. He…' She shivered, unable to keep the tears from rushing down her face. 'I fought him off. I drew – I drew my lightsabre on him. That's… that's when he stopped. That's when he realized…'

She shook her head and hugged Ben, her shoulders shivering as the tears shook her body. He wrapped his arms around her, his cheek resting on her head.

'I-I-I left,' She stammered, her lips unable to keep shut. Why couldn't she stop talking?! 'I ran away. I got in the Falcon and I ran. Finn-Finn-Finn tried to call me. Tried for years. But, I-I-I…'

'You couldn't face them,' He finished, moisture leaking from his face onto her hair. 'Your family attacked you.'

Her fingers dug into his frame deeper, squeezing him like he could break. It seemed to be the only thing keeping her together.

'He said he was sorry,' She repeated, her voice somehow clear enough. 'He apologized for what he did, said it shouldn't have happened. He shouldn't have done it. But… but I can't, I can't!'

'I know,' Ben cooed, swaying her softly in his arms. 'I know. I hear you.'

They wept as one, husband and wife together in their little home. Ben rubbed her back, moving his hand in long, slow sweeps down her hair and back whilst Rey cried into his chest, the weight of the last few years finally off her shoulders.

'Why did you stay?' He sobbed. 'Why did you go on a mission with him?'

'They needed the Jedi,' Rey answered, the need to think gone from her. She just wanted the truth to fall from her lips. 'They needed us and he was part of the crew that needed to be there.'

Ben lifted his head and peered down at her.

'May I kiss you?'

The tears came afresh, this time in frustration.

'Don't ask me!' She cried. 'You don't ask me! You… are mine just as I am yours!'

'I don't want to hurt you.'

His words were so soft, so full of respect! He honoured her hurt! Relief swelled in Rey's chest. She hadn't known what she had wanted when she told him, but having it presented to her without asking, she would take it!

'Yes,' She murmured. 'You can kiss me.'

This kiss was one of the most welcoming she had ever felt from him. He was hurt for her, but they were both so relieved to finally have told each other deep, painful truths. They had trusted one another, him with his book, her with her secret. When he pulled his lips away, they pressed their foreheads together, their union speaking a thousand words of togetherness that could never be translated into speech.

Then, Ben blinked, and the moment was over with a single, firm command:

'Stay here.'

'Where are you going?' Rey demanded, her hands falling from him regardless. 'I could handle myself!'

'I know that,' He told her, stepping away and shoving his feet into his boots, tying them with lightning quickness. 'You shouldn't have had to.'

He turned and headed out the door.

'Ben!' Rey shouted, rushing after him and halting at the door. 'Ben, he apologized!'

He whirled around, his frame so big she knew, knew that it wasn't her place to rebuke him.

'I know,' He told her, his voice dangerously calm. 'That doesn't make me any less angry.'

Yet, he hesitated, waiting with bated breath.

The words were on her lips. If she shouted that she didn't want him to go, she knew that he would have returned to her arms. He would do that for her, he would eat his rage and stay with her if she would only just open her mouth or give him some sort of gesture to call him back.

But, she didn't. She stayed rooted to the spot, her dress opening to the wind as she had yet to secure it. Her lips said nothing, and her hands stayed by her sides.

So, he turned, and stalked towards the beach, knowing exactly where he could find Poe Dameron.

SWSWSW

Poe heaved the heavy wooden crates onto his freshly wiped bar. BB-8 rolled around the floor, pushing wooden chairs to designated tables with his body as he moved. Rose swept the last of the glass windows and Finn came in and out of the Blacksmith's shop carrying broken wood to the forge.

'Soldier!' The Blacksmith called, skidding into view in the doorway.

Poe looked up, seeing the Blacksmith's face. At once, Poe strode towards the door and popped his head out, his movement causing Rose to stop her sweeping and BB-8 to roll towards the bar. Ben strode towards them, his face expressionless, his black eyes hard as torpedoes.

Poe knew that gait. It still haunted his worst dreams of the war.

'Solo?' Finn called, coming up to him as he neared the Blacksmith's shop.

Ben shot a hand out, the motion causing an invisible arm to punch Finn in the chest and send him back into the Blacksmith's shop, the noise echoing around the beach.

'Round them up!' The Blacksmith shouted, bolting from his spot, the sound of his voice purging fishermen and others from their nooks to look around and bolt into action. 'Round them up, let's go!'

'Oh no,' Poe breathed, the sight of the fishermen encircling the Captain's Canteen making him realize what was happening. He knew. Rey had told him what he had done. He knew and he was going to make him pay for it.

The Blacksmith shot forward, blocking Ben's warpath from Poe.

'What's the meaning of this, Artie?' He demanded. 'State it! Claim your reasoning!'

Ben didn't hesitate, but he did slow his pace.

'This man hurt my wife!' He growled. 'He was in a relationship with her years ago and put his hands on her!'

The Blacksmith stiffened. He shot a look back at Poe, but inhaled and turned back to Ben.

'Is it your wife's wish that you demand justice for what was done to her? She does have a rather impressive tool on her belt.'

Ben turned back to him, his eyes so dead the other big man flinched back.

'Do you see her here?'

The Blacksmith took a step back, eyes taking in his intensity. He turned to Poe, lifted a hand, and crooked two fingers at Poe beckoning him forward.

The last thing Poe wanted was to be in the path of that charging Fathier!

'POE!' Rose's voice screamed.

Hands gripped Poe's shoulders before he could even think of what to do. He wanted to dig his heels in, but there wasn't enough room to protest with! He was shoved into a circle of men, where the only thing keeping him alive was a burly man whose sneer deepened the longer he looked at him.

'Well,' The Blacksmith grunted. 'Do you deny it?'

If ever there was a time to disappear, he would have loved to have done it now! Poe looked around, at the men who glared at him, and at his friends who tried to muscle their way through to hear what he had to say. He inhaled. This was not going to be pleasant!

'Rey and me,' He told the Blacksmith, their audience ring on tiptoe with anticipation. 'Rey and me, yeah we dated for a bit. We, we, kissed. But…' He gasped, and wiped his face again. 'She said, she wanted to stop seeing me. Said she wasn't ready. And I… I…'

'SHE TRUSTED YOU!' Ben screamed, his deep voice causing a ringing sound to echo in Poe's ears. 'You were her family!'

'I snapped, alright!' Poe screamed back. 'I acted out sheer impulse and frustration and I-I lost it! That was the first time I've ever hurt a girl, and that has been the last time because of it! I'm, SORRY!'

He turned his head, seeing Finn stare at him in horror Rose standing beside him with a similar expression. It struck Poe harder than the fear of being in that ring. Finn had all but gotten into a ship when he heard that Rey had fled in the night, he had all but killed himself trying to use what little of the Force that she had taught him. He had pushed Rose away when she was near to making progress with him. Poe had torn up their little family because he lost his temper and tried to rape her.

The Blacksmith took two steps back, his footsteps loud as he moved. Suddenly, there was nothing stopping Ben Solo, half-naked, and full of rage for his new bride.

Poe's fists shot up the second Ben's right shot out. Poe dodged it, scooting around his massive frame. Poe shot out a fist and connected it to Ben's temple, causing the big man to stagger, but it didn't do much. In fact, it seemed to hit some sort of refuel button because the next thing Poe knew, Ben reared up, shot out a leg that connected with Poe's side and knocked a generous portion of wind out of his sails.

The men around them rioted, many of them still hungover from the night before thinking this was a continuation of the celebration. Others realizing that this was the Artisan settling a score.

Poe staggered towards the docks, coughing and gripping his sides. Ben closed the distance and punched Poe across the face with one fist, then the other, dropping him to the wood panels. Poe rolled onto his stomach, and pinched his eyes closed, everything but his toes on fire.

'Poe!' Finn screamed, voice laden with worry.

'Touched my wife!' Ben bellowed, a boot two times the size of Poe's foot shooting into Poe's ribs, his toes flopping him around onto his back. 'Force yourself onto her!' The other boot blocked out the sun as it fell across the bridge of Poe's nose, shooting blood into his brown hair.

Poe writhed, gasping for air, but Ben had attacked his chest with both paws, a boulder that could have been his fist slamming over and over against his temple.

Poe's hand shot out, feeling for Ben's hair, eyebrow, eye! He jammed his thumb into Ben's eye until the big man shouted and dropped his body with an unceremonious thump!

Poe coughed, spitting out a clump of blood and a tooth. 'I'm…!' He gasped. 'Sorry!' Another heave that rattled his He lungs. 'I've... I haven't… done it… since… her!'

The leg that attempted to sweep across Poe's face came across as Ben thoroughly not caring.

'Give the man a breath!' The Blacksmith shouted, his voice echoing in Poe's ears.

'Stay out of this!' Ben shouted.

'Och, I am, Artisan! But there's a justified fight and then there's murder!'

Boulders fell upon Poe's chest, lifting him from the dock and shoving him back so that he staggered, unwillingly, onto the coarse sand and seemingly half a dozen hands.

'Get up, Dameron!' Ben thundered. 'Get up!'

The last thing Poe wanted to do was get up! His head, among other body parts, rang with agony, and if felt like he bled from places he didn't know he had places. He blinked, taking a moment to recognize that he was staring at the curve of Finn's boot and the sand.

'Poe!' Finn hissed, clapping an arm over his shoulders in an attempt to steady him. 'Poe, are you alright?'

Poe wiped his face, feeling more blood go on to replace what was just cleaned.

'I think I'll live.'

'Artisan's Wife!' Someone shouted.

Poe looked up blinking against the saltwater and blood seeping into his eyes. Ben stalked paces in front of him, the Blacksmith holding an arm out to him. It was like a man trying to contain a Star Destroyer. Behind the pacing jackal, a gap was formed and Rey, tall and dressed in a flowing teal dress cut to reveal her legs and tied around her neck to stretch across her breasts, her holster cinched her waist with her lightsabre gleamed, her long brown hair cascading down her back in an elegant ponytail. Her arms were crossed in front of her, and her brown eyes unyielding as they followed her husband. Ben slowed to a halt, his eyes fixed on her.

What did he see, Poe wondered. Each time he looked at her now that he knew what she'd been through, what did he see?

'Who do you fight for?' She asked suddenly, her soft voice wafting over the men.

Ben straightened, his fists clenching even tighter. He didn't speak, he merely lowered his chin, eyes meeting hers. Something, a feeling, or even a whole conversation, passed between them. Something that the crowd was not privy to hear, went on between them. Whatever it was, Rey looked down at Poe, then at her husband.

'I think you're done.'

For a second, Poe honestly thought Ben was going to say something. Rebuke his wife, tell her that he'd only just gotten started. By the size of the big man's torso and fists, how they seemed to lack any sort of semblance of fatigue or battle scar, he could fight the rest of the day and well into the night. But, Ben inhaled, and extended his hand in front of him. Rey took his hand, intertwining her fingers in his, and pulled him away.

Finn pulled Poe's arm over his shoulders and guided him back into the Captain's Canteen, Rose following suit. BB-8 hooted from the back room, asking a thousand questions as he rolled forward.

Finn propped Poe onto a table, letting his body rest and sway in the fatigue of after a battle.

'Did you hurt her?' Finn asked. 'Did you hurt Rey?'

Poe pressed a rag Rose offered to his nose, the outward pressure welcome against the inward throbbing one.

'Yes,' He gasped. 'I hurt her.'

'What did you do?'

Poe turned in the direction of Rose's voice, the sun suddenly way too bright for him and he winced.

'I… I tried… to have sex… I got as far as tearing her shirt when she drew her lightsabre on me. I'm not proud of it. I haven't done it again because of her! I don't want to be that man again!'

He lowered the rag, seeing Finn and Rose staring at him. Finn set his jaw and shook his head.

'You bastard!'

He launched his fist into Poe's face, shooting him back onto the table. His head whacked against the wood panels, every cut in his body screaming along with the new thumping.

'Finn! That's enough! That's enough!'

Rose's screams knifed through Poe's brain, but the sight of her wrestling Finn's fist to his side was welcome.

Finn yanked his hand out of Rose's grasp, and stepped aside away from them. He shook his head and marched out the door of the tavern, slapping the air.

Rose turned back to Poe, watching him writhe on the table. She inhaled, and came close.

'How dare you?!' She hissed. 'Rey saved us! She trusted us! She trusted you! Jedi are not allowed to get married, she broke that rule for you!'

Poe did his best to sit up, the throbbing in his head making it difficult.

'She broke it, for Ben,' He corrected. 'It's always been him! She wanted to move on, but she could never forget him! I could see it every time we kissed. She flinched, she always tried pulling out of my arms. I couldn't do anything right because I couldn't be him!'

'Is that why you attacked her? You wanted her to see you and not him?'

'Yes!' Poe shouted, wincing at the sound of his own voice, the movement causing his entire body to ache. 'It was stupid, I know that now! But I was so tired of everything falling through my hands! The Resistance scattered, the Senate looked like it was about to fail again, my girlfriend was dumping me for a ghost, of the man, who tried to murder her, and who murdered countless of my friends during the war!'

Rose shook her head and scoffed. She spread her hands, gesturing to the empty tables around them.

'Look. Your audience who gives a shit applauds your sorrow.'

She dropped her hands, and walked out the door, BB-8 on her heels.

SWSWSW

Ben moved out of the forge entrance. He had applied the bacta spray, Rey could smell it from here, and he'd put a shirt on. Rey turned the fish sizzling atop the oven in an iron skillet. She'd found two in a box of groceries left for them when they returned home. She'd given Ben one look, just one, and he went inside while she prepared their meal. She'd seen him and the cook at the tavern enough times that she understood how to not kill someone with food.

He said nothing as she cooked and chopped. She didn't speak to him either. She'd said nothing as they walked home, and nothing now as they were together. It felt awkward between them, like they had arrived at a great chasm and neither knew how to cross it, but knew that they needed to get to the other side.

Rey looked up, seeing Finn, then Rose and BB-8 come around to the forge workshop, looking first at her, then at her husband.

'Why didn't you say anything?'

The question lingered in the air. Rey turned and set her hands on the work table, and exhaled.

'You hadn't believed me, when I said I loved Ben. You laughed at me,' She looked up, eyes locking on Finn. 'You said I was crazy.'

'I never said that,' Finn protested.

'Doesn't matter,' Rose interrupted. Everyone turned to look at her, watching her swallow and lift her chin. 'What mattered was what Rey was led to believe. She thought she was alone to shoulder the burden of something out of her control.' She turned to look at Rey, her eyes sending a shiver of tears to flow through her body.

'You are not alone,' She breathed.

'You never were,' Ben added.

'We're here for you,' Finn told her.

Always, BB-8 chirped.

Emotion wracked through Rey's body. A coldness in her stomach clashed with the warmth in her heart. She pressed her head to the work table, trying to hide her tears but her body shaking with tears kept her from doing so. She couldn't hide, she was too loved to be hidden away.

Ben's hand rested on hers, his other hand pulling her side close to him. She stood and wrapped her arms around his neck, crying for seemingly the first time in five years. Other hands wrapped around her back, Finn's dark-skinned chin hovering over her eye as she opened it to peer at the newcomers. Rose hugged her too, and BB-8 lowered his head to press against her knees.

Then, something so faint she almost missed it, pressed against her stomach. The Force whispered it to her, something glimmered to life inside of her.

Rey didn't care. She closed her eyes, and inhaled the love pressed into her by her family.

Get out. Get help. Women, men, teenagers, children. I'm here if you need help.

help/