Rey was glad to finally get back to the base after their last mission. Aside from some stray blaster grazes, they were relatively in one piece. The base allowed themselves a night of celebration before cracking down on loading up all the ships in prep for the coming battle. The days passed by in a mundane blur until it was time for Rey to leave. She settled into the pilot's seat of the Falcon with Chewwie next to her. Finn and Poe were in the back playing games.

"Do you think I'm making the right decision?" she asked Chewwie as they hovered in the stratosphere, her hand on the hyperdrive.

Chewwie wordlessly put his hand on top of hers, giving her a small nod. Together, they pushed it forward, watching the stars in the viewport turn into streaks. She let out a breath. She was doing this.

Ben spared multiple furtive glances around the ship as he made his way towards a hangar bay. He was hoping to sneak out unnoticed, but the force had other plans.

"Ren,"Hux called. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing of your concern, General," he spat back.

"If you're skulking around my ship, it becomes my concern."

"Last time I checked, this is the Supreme Leader's ship," Ben replied.

"Either way. Why are you going towards the hangar bay?" Hux pressed.

Ben sighed. He turned towards Hux, hand raised to use a mind trick. "I am going to Naboo and you will give me a ship."

"You are going to Naboo and I will give you a ship." Hux repeated.

"If anyone asks, I am reinvestigating Yavin-4 for clues about the rebels."

"If anyone asks, you are reinvestigating Yavin-4 for clues about the rebels."

"Later, General," Ben replied with a nod, continuing towards the bay. He took control of a tie fighter, opting not to take his ship since it would only draw attention. He disconnected the tracker in the TIE fighter and set the coordinates for Naboo before taking off. He wanted to be able to jump to hyperspace as soon as he cleared the ship. The sky streaked across his viewport. There was no going back now.

Rey arrived first. She flew over the sky of Theed, taking in the domed tops of the city. She felt a wave of nostalgia rush over her, feeling like the child she was when she first saw the planet.

"So, why Naboo?" Finn asked as he came into the cockpit. His eyes widened in awe as he looked out at the view. "Although, it is a beautiful planet. I don't think I've ever seen anything like this."

"We've been here before," Rey smiled. "When we were young."

"Did you just choose to come here on a whim back then?" Poe asked, drumming his fingers on his knee.

"No," she said with a shake of her head, "Ben's grandmother was from here. She served two terms as queen, and then served the rest of her life as their Senator in the the Republic."

Poe's eyes widened in sudden recognition. "You're telling me that Ben's grandmother was Padmé Amidala?"

"You know of her?" Rey asked.

"She's a legend. She laid the ground work for the rebellion that would end up being fought against Vader," Poe replied, trailing off a bit, "Wait. If Vader is Ben's grandfather... then you're telling me he married the Senator?"

Rey nodded, "Luke and Leia are their children."

"Maybe it's better that she hadn't lived to see the rebellion, then. I doubt anyone would want to fight against the person they thought would love them the rest of their life," Poe said.

"I don't think he would've stopped loving her, though," Rey stated pensively, "I think that love complicates things, but I think it's hard to go from love to hatred. I wish I knew her. She seemed like the type of woman who always knew what to do."

Finn tilted his head toward Theed,"So, are we setting down here?"

"No. We're going towards the lake country. That's where his grandmother loved to go, and that's where most of our memories came from," she said with a distant smile.

"You're sure about this, Princess?" Poe asked. "What if he doesn't show up? Or worse, what if he does show up but he's not alone?"

"Why do you think I brought you two?" she chuckled, but then added, "He wouldn't do that to me."

"How do you know?" Poe asked.

"Because he loves me."

She carefully set the ship down in a clearing up ahead. She remembered that much. "The place we're staying should be just past those trees."

Ben spotted the Falcon down below him, coming in to land next to it. He smiled despite himself, not too long ago, he hated this ship. Now he was parking next to it without the intention of shooting it. He had come far. He took his helmet off, leaving it on the seat next to his lightsaber. He knew he could be walking into a trap, but he still wanted to go unarmed. He trusted Rey. This was just him displaying the trust he has in her. He popped open the hatch above him and clamored out. His cape swished behind him as he walked through the trees, a small smile forming on his face. He knew where to go, loving the sentimentality of her decision. He moved some leaves out of the way as he found himself staring out at the oddest group of people facing away from him. A pilot, a scavenger, a wookie, and a former stormtrooper turned resistance hero. They were splashing each other in the shallows

"Is this what you all do at the resistance base? No wonder we've been kicking your butts for years," Ben called out.

Rey felt her heart drop to her stomach, this was it. She hadn't seen him in so long...not with her own two eyes. She slowly turned to face him, letting her hand drip water down into the lake. She took a slow tentative step towards him, but the closer she got, the faster she ran until they were colliding in the middle of a field. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she felt his arms enclose around her, crushing her into him.

"Rey," Ben whispered as his eyes closed, feeling her under his hands. One hand was pressed to the small of her back while the other gently cupped the back of her head. He held her close, never wanting to let her go. He had the world in his hands.

Rey's face was buried in the crook of his neck. She inhaled the scent of him. "I was beginning to worry that you wouldn't come," she murmured against his neck.

"Sunshine, I'd do anything to hold you in my arms. You should know that by now," Ben replied, placing a quick kiss to her neck.

Rey slowly released herself from the hug, but looped her hand in his. She didn't want to let go completely, afraid that he would vanish if she did.

Ben gestured behind her, "So are you going to introduce me to your friends?"

Rey gave a slight sigh, "I'm pretty sure you've met all of them before."

"As Kylo Ren. That's not who I am... Not anymore," he said with a small smile.

"Come on," Rey replied, gently pulling him along by the hand. They came to a stop in front of the others.

Ben couldn't look Chewwie in the eyes, not after stabbing his father.

"So... you all came here with Rey?" Ben asked awkwardly. "You must be great friends to her."

Finn wrapped an arm around Poe's shoulder. "We're all a team. A package deal, so to speak."

"Yeah, Princess has really come through these past few weeks. She's someone I learned I can rely on and trust. I just hope she knows she can count on us," Poe said with a soft smile. It was true, from what Rey had told Ben, Poe had come a long way from hating her to being one of her biggest support systems.

"Yeah, she can," Finn added, fixing Ben with a hard stare, "And she can count on us to come after you if you hurt her."

Ben finally turned to look at Chewwie with a sad smile, "And you? You've been taking care of her, too?"

Chewwie touched his shoulder, giving him a squeeze. Ben felt tears sting his eyes. Chewwie had taken care of him at one point, too, and he knew he had severely disappointed him. Finn and Poe awkwardly exchanged a glance as they observed the man who had tormented their resistance for years break down when faced with a Wookie.

Ben felt a tear slide down his face, "I'm so sorry."

He knew it couldn't make up for the pain that he had caused, and he wasn't expecting forgiveness, but he wanted Chewwie to know, nonetheless. The Wookie gave him a nod, letting his arm drop back to his side.

Ben turned towards Rey's found family, "I owe the two of you an apology, too."

Finn stopped him, "To be fair, if you haven't noticed there's a war going on. We've killed people, too. No one's innocent. Not anymore."

Ben nodded at him before turning to Poe. "Well, Commander Dameron, is my mother ready for tomorrow?"

Poe tilted his head to the side, "Ready as we'll ever be to end a war."

Rey bit her lip, watching the people she loved most interact in front of her. She still couldn't believe this was happening, but Ben's occasional squeeze of her hand kept her grounded in the moment. "So, do you want to see where we'll be staying?" Rey asked.

Poe pointed at the set of cottages behind her, "I was assuming we were staying in those."

Rey rolled her eyes, "Well, yes, but you don't know what it looks like on the inside." She handed a set of keys to Finn and Chewwie and kept one for herself.

"So, should I point out the fact that there are three cabins but five of us?" Finn asked with a raised eyebrow.

Rey just took Ben's hand in response. "See you in the morning," she yelled over her shoulder.