Chapter 37: Cataalda Base: Places

"You took a promotion," Ben sulked in the lounge of the Ghost while Kaila packed up a repulsorlift. "You're taking things off the ship. I thought this ship was our home. We were only supposed to stay here a few days!"

Chopper whistled in agreement, to the shock of everyone.

"The Rebellion needs our help," Kaila pointed out. She loaded up another box. "Wraith Squadron is still out who knows where. If I stay here, I have a better chance of being able to go after them. I can't just come to the Rebellion when I need help. I need to actually contribute. More than just smuggling supplies to them. I'm a Jedi. I need to stop pretending that I'm not. I've trained to protect people my whole life. I need to use it now. You know, you are the one who has been on more Rebel missions in the last month."

"I was fixing a mistake." Ben scowled and crossed his arms over his chest. "Are you sure this isn't about Dameron?"

"No," Kaila drew out the word. "I'm not a starry-eyed teenager who needs to be with her boyfriend every second of the day. Is it nice being around him? Yes it is. But that's not the reason we're staying. Why are you fighting this so much? Rey is here. I thought you wanted to be around Rey. She seemed really happy about us staying."

"I'm not..." Ben closed his eyes, unsure how he was supposed to respond. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do. What we are now. We did... That... But I know I'm not good enough to be with her. I'm not done training yet! You said I couldn't be around these people yet!"

"The situation has changed." Kaila shoved Ben over and sat herself down next to him. She leaned against him. "People need us. And you have changed. I see it every day. Right now, you're not acting out of a want to protect people. You're acting out of fear. And it's stupid male panic fear. You and Rey had sex. Now you want to run away from her because you don't know how to act around her."

"You got mad that I slept with her!" Ben protested, grimacing as Kaila leaned against him. "I thought you would want me to stay away from her!"

"I wanted you two to take things slowly." Kaila nudged him. "But there's no unringing that bell. Now I want you to be nice to her. Treat her better than most guys after they sleep with a girl the first time. Don't act like a panicked nerf."

A thought came to Ben's mind and he couldn't stop the smile from curling his lips. "So you wouldn't mind if we kept having sex?"

Kaila groaned. "You've really got to do more than that. But I'm not your mother and you're almost thirty years old. If you and Rey want to do that then... Just don't do it around the Holocrons." Kaila jumped up and pat the box of holocrons on the repulsorlift. "We don't want to have a replay of what happened on the way to Coruscant. I doubt I'll get a second reprieve."

"What are you doing with the Holocrons?" Ben eyed the box warily.

"I'm going to give them to Obi-Wan," Kaila picked up one of the Jedi Holocrons. "He can protect them better than anyone and they might come in handy for him. There's information on them about what happened to the Jedi during and after the Clone Wars. He's still trying to catch up."

The mention of Master Kenobi made Ben sit up straight. "So you're okay with him being here? You don't think it's strange?"

"No, it's really strange." Kaila sighed, leaning against the repulsorlift. "A Jedi who died almost thirty-five years ago is alive again. He's in a clone body, but... It's him. It's absolutely him. That's never happened before. But he's one of the greatest Jedi in history. That's a gift from the Force."

"Are you sure?" Ben scowled. "It seemed like just a quirk of cloning."

"Obi-Wan's why you don't want to stay, isn't he?" Kaila stood up straight. "Yeah, you're worried about Rey... But you've been around her for almost three weeks and you haven't had a problem with it until now. You've been trying to hide the fact you two were making out on the Ghost and yes, I did know. You don't want to stay here because of Obi-Wan. Why don't you want to be near him?"

"Because he is one of the greatest Jedi in history." Ben pointed at himself. "Look at who I am, Numa . He should want to kill me for what I've done. He did want to kill me. Jedi don't give people who fall to the Dark Side a second chance."

"I gave you a second chance."

Ben waved her off. "You're not a real Jedi."

"Hey!"

"I didn't mean it like that." Ben sighed. "You weren't a part of the Jedi Order. Obi-Wan was. I just don't know if it's a good idea for me to be around him."

Kaila shrugged. "I don't know. It seems like it might be a good idea for you to be around another full Jedi. You can learn from him. He's not going to harm you. He know you're my student. He would risk the wrath of your mother, Rey and me."

Ben pulled himself to his feet. "Someone is going to find out about me sooner or later. It's not going to be pleasant when it happens."

Kaila frowned. "Ben, when we have to run, we'll run. But for now, can we just try to do some good?"

"I've still got a bad feeling about this."

"So noted." Kaila cocked her head. "So should I leave your pack on the ship or do you want me get your quarters?"

"I'm fine here." Ben turned and stalked out, wanting to get away from his tiff with Kaila.

He understood why they should remain with the Rebellion. They were in a dire situation and any people helping them out was important, especially two Force users. But Ben could see it coming... Soon enough, people would find out who he was. Once that happened, he would be driven away.

Kaila thought Anakin would have lived out his days in exile if he had survived the Battle of Endor. Maybe that was the only thing for Ben. Maybe he should have gone to the Unknown Region. He could find Wraith Squadron for Kaila and then stay there, trying to dismantle the First Order facilities there.

Ben needed to clear his head. He needed to get away from the base. He didn't know the layout of the surrounding area, but he didn't really care. If he got lost, he got lost. He was sure almost everyone would prefer it.

Kaila would be able to devote herself fully to the Rebellion. His mother would not longer have to live with the shame of him. Poe and Finn would no longer hold such resentment. Rose would never have to think ill of him.

And Rey...

"What are you doing?"

Ben felt the tug in his heart. He had not felt it in a while. Then he saw Rey in front of him. She was kneeling somewhere. She was wet, her tunic clinging to her. "What are you doing?"

"I asked first," Rey questioned. "I felt it. You want to leave?"

"You know I should," Ben replied. "I'm not doing anyone any good here."

"You're doing more good than I am," Rey shot back, the bitterness in her voice clear. "You just got back on a mission and you got the Rebellion a clone army. I've just been sitting around with people gaping at me, thinking I'm some sort of hero."

"You are a hero." Ben's eyes roved over her. "Really, what are you doing?"

Rey went silent, looking away. She then wrinkled her nose. "I'm trying to learn how to swim."

"Really?"

"I grew up on a desert planet!" Rey pointed out. "And it would be a really good thing for me to know seeing as how there doesn't seem to be a lot of those. I nearly drowned when I was in that cave."

Ben smiled. He broke into a run. He didn't need to be told where she was. He could feel her. Soon enough, he saw her in the flesh. He immediately began to strip down.

"What are you doing?" Rey asked, slightly panicked.

Ben tossed his shirt over his shoulder. "You want to learn how to swim. I'll teach you." He pointed to her. "You know it would be easier for you to do if you weren't wearing your clothes. They're creating drag."

Rey scowled, curling her arms around herself to cover her. "You were thinking about leaving."

"I was," Ben admitted. He stood in front of Rey, stripped down to his underwear. "But not because of you."

"What we did..." Rey said slowly. "Do you regret it?"

Ben shook his head. He thought back on his conversation with Kaila. "I don't regret it at all. But I don't know if we should do that again. For a while."

Rey looked him over. "I'm getting some mixed signals with you in your underwear."

Ben waded into the water. He shivered at the cold before ducking his head beneath the water. He came up, his hair dripping wet. "We should get to know each other. Really get to know each other. Kaila's made it clear we're staying for a while. So you and I can be together like... Normal people."

"We're not normal," Rey replied, standing up, she slowly began to pull off her clothes.

Ben licked his lips, eyeing her hungrily. "I know we're not. But we can be as normal as we are." He tread water. "But we shouldn't jump into anything."

Once she was down to her undergarments, Rey hesitantly walked into the water.

"How did you not drown when you were in the cave?" Ben asked, coming to meet her and taking Rey's hand.

"The Force," Rey admitted. She seemed to give up control to Ben, letting him lead her out into the water. "So you're good at swimming?"

"My dad taught me." He felt a pang of nostalgia and guilt at the memory of him and his father in the water together. He had been very young. Chewbacca had been at the lakeside, complaining that the water would weigh down his fur.

"Ben?" Rey's voice was quiet. "What does going slow mean?"

He looked down and noticed her eyeing his bare chest. "I know what you're thinking."

"Are you using the Force on me?" Rey asked.

Ben shook his head. "I don't need the Force." He lifted Rey up into his arms. "You're as transparent as your tunic was." He kissed her firmly. "That's okay. But what we did on Coruscant... I don't know if we should do that for a while."

"But I want to," Rey replied.

"So do I," Ben admitted. "But..."

"No offense to Captain Syndulla, but what does she even know about relationships? She and Poe have been sleeping together since he was in flight school and they've only now made some sort of commitment to each other." Rey placed her hand on his face, stroking his beard. "Ben, I'm not sure about anything right now... Except for you. I want you."

Ben groaned. She was some sort of test by the Force. To make sure he had resolve. He took a deep breath. "Okay, so I'm going to put you back in the water. I'll hold your hands and pull you along while you kick your legs. Then we'll work on your arms. How does that sound?"

"Not as fun as what I want to do," Rey groused.

Ben placed Rey back down into the water. "Come on. This is training." He looked down at her. She looked gorgeous with her dark hair plastered to her neck and shoulders. "Maybe after we can... Not train. But for now, let's do this."