Paralyzed

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A/N-thank you to everyone who kindly reviewed the last chapter.

Chapter Twenty-Six-Sick

Ben held Rey as she slept. From time to time she murmured, "Can't lose you. Ben…. Ben." He tried to reassure her that he was there without actually waking her. She had barely slept as it was, neither had he. Sidious haunted her nightmares, just like he did his. They had put their plan in motion and now it was a game of wait and see, but the waiting was taking its toll, especially on Rey. Ben stroked Rey's hair back from her face as he tried to soothe her troubled dreams. At least she had stopped trembling.

Despite his best efforts she stirred in his arms, her eyes fluttering open. She whispered his name, her cheek rubbing against his chest. "You're here. You're really here." She said in relief as she fought back the tears glimmering in her eyes. She turned her head and laid it against his shoulder, closing her eyes again. "I had such a bad dream." She confessed shakily. "I can't lose you. I love you so much."

"You're not going to lose me." Ben promised as his arms tightened around her possessively. She said she loved him. He would never get tired of hearing it. "I love you, too."

Rey leaned up to kiss him, her sweet lips causing the heat of his body to increase. He wanted her so much. He could go on kissing her forever…

And then the alarm went off.

Rey saw the shock register on Ben's face as she rested in the security of his arms. "It's Hux." He said in disbelief.

"Hux?" Rey echoed him in surprise. "How do you know its him?"

"When I set up the council, to avoid duplicity, I gave every officer on the Supreme Council their own unique pass code known only to me." Ben explained hurriedly.

"Does that mean Hux has escaped?" Rey's face turned ashen at the thought. "Is he trying to contact someone in the First Order?" She felt panic descend, robbing her of the ability to think straight.

"If he was then he wouldn't be using this pass code. We should touch base with the Resistance." Ben paused in his work to concentrate on Rey. She looked like she was about to faint. For the past few days, she had become increasingly jittery, which was unlike her. When they made love, she clung tightly to him as if afraid he was going to disappear. When she tried to sleep, she was constantly plagued with nightmares. When Ben questioned her about them, she refused to tell him what they were about, but by the way she sobbed his name in her sleep, it was clear to him that he played a starring role. "I wish you would talk to me." He pleaded with her. "But you've put up walls and I can't understand why."

Rey didn't have the words to reassure him, not when she didn't understand what was wrong herself. She felt like she had the most terrible hangover all the time. She was nauseous and liable to vomit at the slightest provocation. How many times had she had been forced to swallow it down in an effort to hide it from him? She didn't want him to worry more than he was already. He had enough to deal with. But they were constantly together, there was no way he wasn't picking up on the signs that there was something more than just stress making her feel sick all the time. And the sickness lasted all damn day, even the smell of certain foods made her want to retch.

"I'm fine." She lied, quickly shielding herself from him.

Ben looked at her searchingly, knowing she was hiding from him again. He reached out through their Force bond, eager to get a glimmer of what was really going on in her head, but he encountered the same mental barriers as she kept him out. He ground his teeth in frustration that she wouldn't completely open up to him, he thought they were past this. She said she loved him all the time. So why?

"Ben." Rey murmured as she touched his face in the gentlest caress. "I promise that I'm okay."

Her words did little to ease his anxious thoughts, but he knew pressuring her to tell him what was wrong would only result in her retreating from him further. He reluctantly tore his eyes away from her and concentrated on the task at hand as he logged into the comms system and began to key in a series of security codes in order to ensure a secure connection to the Resistance base.

"They're coming." Poe broke out into a relieved smile as he ended the transmission. He saw an answering smile on Rose's face and he put his hand on her shoulder. "Good work."

"It wasn't me. It was Armitage." Rose reminded him as she glanced in Hux's direction. He was vigorously washing down the side panels of the X-wing, pretending to be oblivious to the emotional conversation that had just taken place between them and Ben and Rey.

"Yeah." Poe conceded reluctantly. "I wonder what he expects to get in return."

"Maybe he doesn't want anything." Rose felt compelled to give Armitage the benefit of the doubt for once. "Maybe he really meant it when he said he felt it was the right thing to do."

"Don't be fooled, Rose. Men like Hux never change. They only do things to further their own cause. We all know he loathes Ren." Poe warned her as he gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "I'll catch up you later. I'm going to tell Harter the good news."

Rose frowned as she watched Poe leave. She supposed he was right. She liked to believe that everyone had some good in them, even men like Armitage. But maybe she was just being naïve. But whether his offer of help came from a good place or not, he still deserved a small reward for his efforts, she decided.

Much later, when Hux returned to his cell for dinner, he didn't find the same bland offerings as usual. A piece of ripe fruit had been added as well as a steaming pot of Caf.' Armitage settled down to eat with a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, happy in the knowledge that it was Rose who had put them there.

Ben barely had the patience to deal with Pryde as he caustically informed the Allegiant General that he was leaving to rendezvous with the Knights of Ren. "They've received a particularly intriguing lead on the whereabouts of the Scavenger. I am joining them to investigate further. Until I return, I leave everything in your capable hands, Allegiant General."

"You can rest assured that I have everything under control, Supreme Leader." Enric gave him a particularly obsequious smile which grated further on Ben's nerves. He was desperate to be gone.

"Good." He muttered before called out to a passing officer to prepare his ship.

"We'll get there in time, Ben." Rey said to him telepathically as she tried to quell her rising nausea. She didn't know whether she was trying to reassure him or herself. Leia's impending demise had thrown everything into chaos. Even though they knew it was coming, both of them had still held out for the faint hope that she would recover. They had left knowing that it would probably be the last time they saw her alive, but now that it was actually happening, they were both struggling under the emotional onslaught. It was a risky time for Ben to leave, but they both mutually decided that the risk was worth it if he could be with his mother in her last moments.

The heat and humidity of the jungle moon pressed in on them as soon as they stepped off the command ship. Rey, in particular, felt her stomach clench in protest. She swallowed vigorously, fighting the urge to vomit. She couldn't be sick. Not now. Ben needed her. She felt his arm flex around her slim waist when she saw Poe, Finn and Rose running to meet them.

"I'm glad you made it." Poe said directly to Ben when they reached him. There was no animosity in his eyes as he regarded Ben with sympathy. Whatever issues remained between them were laid to rest in their mutual grief over Leia Organa.

"Thanks." Ben replied huskily.

"She's in the med tent. Follow me." Poe walked beside Ben as he explained how the knowledge of his impending arrival seemed to have roused Leia from her torpor. "Your mother is a strong woman." He said to Ben.

"I know." Ben managed to summon a grateful smile in Dameron's direction. "Thank you for looking after her."

Rey walked behind the two men, breathing deeply as she tried to contain her nausea. Whatever bug she had picked up wasn't going away anytime soon. She decided to seek Harter Kalonia's advice before she left to see if the doctor had anything that she could take to stop the queasiness.

"Rey, are you okay?" Finn whispered in concern when he noted how wan she was looking. "You're so pale."

"I'm fine." Rey promised as she wiped at the perspiration coating her brow.

"You don't seem fine. You don't have to pretend for my sake." Finn lowered his voice as he pulled her to one side out of earshot of the others. "I know you, Rey. Did Ren do something?"

"Ben hasn't done anything. Leia is dying and this is what you're focusing on!" Rey whispered angrily. "I said I'm fine." The queasiness came over her in waves again as she brushed Finn off and hurried to catch up with Ben and Poe.

Finn let out a frustrated sigh as he suddenly found Rose beside him. "She just won't listen." He complained to her.

"Maybe you should." Rose answered sourly as she left his side and followed in the others wake, leaving him staring after her in confusion.

A/N-thanks for reading. Please review if you have the time.