Paralyzed

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A/N-thank you for the kind reviews on the last chapter.

Chapter Forty-Seven-Forgiveness

The temperature dropped as soon as Ben and Rey-accompanied by Rose, Hux and the remaining Knights of Ren-entered into the massive underground chambers of the moon orbiting Lonania Prime. A violent chill ran down Rey's spine as she huddled against Ben's side. The natural light reached neither wall nor ceiling, confining vision to a small circle of flickering orange cast by Ben's torch; inky black water sloshed against a narrow strip of land that disappeared into the darkness before them and jagged teeth of stone descended from the shadows above.

"And I thought Hoth was bad." Rose whispered to Hux as she gave an involuntary shiver.

Hux didn't disagree. He peered into the gloom but failed to pierce the darkness. He shrugged off his greatcoat and draped it around Rose's shoulders to ward off the cold. Rose smiled up at him gratefully. The two of them shared a lingering look as she murmured her thanks.

The tunnel seemed to go on forever. They rested, cocooned in the body of the earth, feeling the rock beneath their feet. In the darkness Rey could feel her blood return to a comfortable warmth as she absorbed Ben's greater body heat. Water ran ever so coolly from the cave opening down fissures, feeding springs in other places. The knights ducked down and refilled their empty flasks. Ben and Rey followed suit as did Hux and Rose. It had been hours since they last had been able to quench their thirst.

"This is certainly proving a good place to hide." Rey observed as she let the frigid water trickle down her throat.

"Dank, though." Ben hated being underground. He was beginning to feel claustrophobic. He had a secret fear of being closed in, a fear of being trapped in darkness. The fear stemmed from an incident from his childhood when one of the kitchen droids, tasked with looking after him, had malfunctioned and tried to decapitate him. He had hidden himself away in the closet in his room while the droid continued on its murderous rampage as it tried to hunt him down. He had been very young when it happened, barely six years old. Being locked in that darkened closet for hours on end with no hope of rescue had traumatised him. It had taken a long time for him to recover, but the experience had left its mark on him.

"You're not alone, Ben." Rey's gentle voice chased away the growing nightmare inside his head and he felt able to breathe again.

"I know." Ben pressed a light kiss into her hair as he enfolded her in his arms. "I love you, sweetheart."

"I love you, too." Rey felt Ben's arms tighten around her in a hug stronger than anything she'd ever known, as if holding her wasn't quite enough, he had to feel every ounce that she was press into every ounce that was him. In that moment of feeling him so close, she felt calmer, more awake somehow, more alive.

"Quit it lovebirds." Trudgen growled irritably as he grabbed the torch from Ben and took the lead. "We need to get moving."

Ben cuddled Rey against him, not bothered by Trudgen's complaints. In the past he wouldn't have stood for one of the knights speaking to him in such a gruff manner. But he found he didn't care anymore. He had the love of his life resting in his arms. What did Trudgen have but a sharp weapon and an empty heart.

The cavern wormed its way half a mile into the mountain. Its general shape was ovoid, the walls below the ridge smoothly curved to the floor, the walls above arched another hundred feet up to giant stalactites as strange bat like creatures began to swarm around their heads. They finally saw flickering lights ahead as they drew closer to the Resistance base. In another few minutes they reached their destination.

A natural limestone cave opened up into a huge hangar. The Tantive IV, the command centre for the Resistance, loomed in front of them. As they travelled toward it, they saw Poe appear on the opened ramp, and he wasn't alone. Next to him stood Finn. Rey's face broke out into a wide smile when she saw her friend, absent for so long, she had missed him. Ben was forced to reluctantly release her as she took off at a fast run to greet her erstwhile friend. Finn left Poe's side and sprinted to meet her. They met in the middle, throwing their arms joyfully around one another.

"You are a sight for sore eyes." Finn said as he pulled back a little in order to study her face. "You look well. You're practically glowing."

"Am I?" Rey's cheeks grew warm under his intense scrutiny.

"Yeah." Finn's face relaxed into a smile as he hugged her to him again. "I've missed you, Rey. Its good to be back. When Poe told me, what happened…." His voice tailed off when he caught sight of Rose over Rey's shoulder. His smile faded to be replaced with a frown when he noticed she was wearing Hux's greatcoat. His annoyed gaze drifted to Ben trailing behind them. He tensed further, letting go of Rey as he tried to fight off a scowl.

Rey huffed out an irritated breath when she noticed him glaring in Ben's direction. "I thought we were past this, Finn."

"You can't expect me to just accept him, Rey." Finn answered her sharply. He saw her flinch and his expression softened. "But I am trying."

Rey was exasperated with his lame excuse. The others had joined them now. She felt Ben slip his arm around her waist. Finn's face hardened again as he and Ben exchanged frosty stares. "Play nice." She warned both of them.

Finn responded with an annoyed shrug as he turned to face Rose. She had been watching the terse exchange quietly. When Finn tried to smile at her, she just shook her head at him and walked off without saying a word. "That went well." He muttered. He noticed Hux following in Rose's wake and frowned again. "Why is Rose still burdened with keeping an eye on that creep?" He demanded.

"She doesn't see it as a burden." Rey snapped impatiently. She felt Ben's hands land on her shoulders as he massaged them gently in an effort to calm her down. She turned to look at him and was gifted with one of his adoring smiles.

"You two are disgusting." Poe's booming voice greeted them cheerfully as he finally joined them. "Save all that mushy stuff for later. We've got some catching up to do." He grinned at Ben, holding out his hand. Ben took it and they shook hands. As for Rey, Poe pulled her into a brief hug. "Good to have you back." He told her. "I'm sorry about what happened."

"It doesn't matter." Rey assured him when he let her go.

"Yes, it does." Poe smiled at her sadly. "No one had the right to treat you like that. Everyone let their fears get the better of them, not that's any excuse."

Rey felt her eyes moisten at his words. Out of nowhere she felt a pair of long, hairy arms wrap around her as Chewbacca engulfed her in a bear hug. She let her tears spill over as she hugged him right back. The tall Wookie let out a soft whine of greeting. "I missed you too, Chewie." She said, closing her eyes.

After a moment, Chewbacca placed her gently back down on her feet. His dark eyes drifted to Ben. The two of them stared at each other for a long time. Chewie was the first to break the staring contest as he suddenly flung his arms around Ben and pulled him into a tight hug. Rey burst into happy tears at the sight of Ben being embraced by his surrogate uncle. The two of them had been estranged for so long since Han's death. It seemed that the Chewie had finally managed to get past his bitterness and forgive Ben.

Rey shared each and every one of Ben's feelings as he let go of all his negative emotions and memories regarding his father's death. He had punished himself for so long, Chewie's forgiveness was a blessing, and was the final catalyst in Ben being allowed to move forward and forgive himself. His broad shoulders shook as his silent tears wet the Wookie's thick fur. Chewie let out a soft whine as he patted the back of Ben's head comfortingly. Forgiveness brings the liberty to love again, to heal the heart, soul and mind. She had so wanted that for Ben and it was finally happening for real.

When Rey wiped her eyes and looked at the others, she saw that even Finn had tears in his eyes.

A/N-thanks for reading. Sorry for the short chapter but work continues to claim too much of my time, sighs. Please review.