Author's Update: New update! Yes, yes it didn't take me two bloody weeks for the update! So this is moving into a new arc, so just like before this is going to be broken up into parts. So bear with me and no, I'm not giving away spoilers. You'll just have to follow along to see what's about to happen.

Disclaimer: I do not and nor have I ever owned Star Wars. I simply play in their world.

Reviews! Reviews! I have to give a huge THANK YOU to Hartmanclann and Brendajreyes13. You two are always the first to respond when I post a new chapter and I cannot tell you how honored I am to have such devoted readers. Again, to ALL my readers, I sincerely adore every review I receive.

Once upon a time in a galaxy far, far away...

"Meet me

where the end begins,

in echoes,

where your world is me,

and my world is you."

-Perry.

Rey

"Give me your hand."

Eyes of velvet darkness staring at me with haunting possession, his voice thrumming with desire and he does nothing but stand there with his hand extended to me.

The crystals in my hair chime like glass as I stand trembling beneath his burning eyes as I slid my hand into his.

Our fingers entwined, I move into his arms, the heat of his palm pressed to the base of my spine only makes me tremble even more in his embrace.

I cannot look away from him, I feel his soul wrapping around mine and I am lost...

Thirty-six hours ago...

"Rey! You up there?"

Finn's voice, calling for me. I stand up from where I was crouched down on the hull of the Falcon. I detected a minor glitch in the relay sensor and I was trying to fix it before it became a major problem.

I wave at him from where I'm standing and he looks up at me.

"Come down!" His hands are cupped around his mouth, his word echoing through the air. "General needs to speak to you."

"Be right there!"

The relay will have to wait until I get back. Leia wouldn't call for me unless it was important.

I'm about to reach for the opening that will lead me back down into the Falcon, when I pause.

The lessons that Ren taught me two weeks ago are still fresh in my mind.

The wind tangling my hair...the rush of being in free fall...

"Rey what are you...no, wait!"

But I'm already jumping off of the Falcon, doing a quick flip so that I land on my feet.

The soles of my boots absorb the impact but it still makes my teeth rattle with bone-jarring force.

How the hell did Ren jump from that cliff without shattering his legs?

There had to be a trick to it, there always was with him. I was going to have to remember to ask him the next time I...

His mouth on my skin, his fingers stroking me until I wanted to beg him to stop tormenting me...or just beg altogether...

My mouth goes dry and the pulse of my blood races, leaving me lightheaded.

I tear my thoughts away from Ren with a fury.

Now was not the time for me to be remembering those particular memories.

Not with Finn standing five feet from me, a dazed look in his eyes.

"Finn? Finn!"

I snap my fingers in front of his face and he blinks at me.

"Man..." he shakes his head at me, "every time you do that, you give me a heart attack."

I laugh and shake my head. "I'm not going to stop. I'm trying to become a Jedi. So what does the General want with me?"

"General..."

He still has that glassy look in his eyes, staring at the Falcon and then back to me several times over.

"Finn! Focus!" but I'm too busy laughing at him to be of much help.

"You guys are making a lot of racket over here. What the hell is so damn funny?"

Poe walking up to us even as I try, without much success, to stifle my mirth at Finn's comical expression.

Poe leans over and smacks Finn across the back of the head, snapping him out of his daze that my jump caused.

"Hey, damn it that hurt!"

He rubs the back of said head and glares at the pilot. Poe slugs him across the arm for the look.

"Good, you're suppose to be bringing Rey to Leia, remember? Not staring off into space buddy."

"Leia...General...right, the message!"

Finn grabs my hand and practically drags me away from the Falcon.

"Come one, we gotta go!"

I look at our clasped hands and shake myself free of his grip.

I don't know why but...it feels wrong to have anyone hold my hand like that if it's not Ren.

Finn shoots me a hurt look and I roll my eyes at him.

"I'm not a child Finn, I can walk to Leia without you leading me."

"Oh right...yeah, sorry about that. But this is important."

Poe matches his stride to mine and the three of walk back to the temporary base we've made.

The far side of the moon that circles Dathomir has turned out be a good place to hide.

I wonder if Leia is calling for me to tell me we've found a more permanent home.

As if thinking about her conjurers her we turn the corner and she's waiting for us with an impatient air.

Finn and Poe give her guilty looks and I'm flat out confused. There has to be at least a half-dozen people standing around a holo-screen that I managed to salvage on our last run for supplies.

"Rey, I see Finn found you." A sharp glance from her has Finn ducking his head, "Finally."

"Sorry, mostly my fault," I tell her, deflecting her attention from Finn, "I was working on the Falcon and didn't hear him calling for me."

She does not look at all a bit mollified and the glint in her steely gaze reminds me sharply of Ren when I made him leave back at the lake.

I have to mentally shake my head at myself. He was constantly in my thoughts now, every where I went, everything that I did reminded me of him.

His ghost was haunting me and I didn't know if I wanted to laugh or cry that he had become so much a part of me.

"Is that young Rey I hear? About time."

I recognize that voice instantly and turn towards to holo-screen.

"Maz?"

Her fuzzy, blue image appears from the base of the projector and I blink at the sight of her.

She isn't wearing her goggles, the wrinkles around her eyes more pronounced because of it and she is dressed...in a robe.

"Been a long time. Seems the Resistance agrees with you."

"Umm, yeah, I guess it does."

I turn back to Leia who is sighing and shaking her head.

"I'm not the one wanting to speak with you. Talk to Maz."

I am more than just a little confused as I stare at the diminutive woman.

Who is sipping on some kind of drink with a flower on the rim.

I blink in surprise then remember that Maz is currently living on a world call Emphameria.

A so called 'paradise' planet on the edge of the Outer Rim.

"Okay Maz," I fold my arms over my chest, "what do you want?"

I still haven't quite forgiven her for sending me to Praksis and nearly getting Ben and myself killed in the process.

My less than pleased greeting doesn't seem to bother her at all.

"I want you to come to Emphameria."

My mouth drops open and her words are like a bomb going off around me.

"What? No way! No way in hell is she going!"

That was Finn.

"Umm, yeah Maz, now is not the best time for Rey to be off on vacation. We have something called a war going on right now."

That was Poe.

I look to Leia, who is staring at Maz with a peculiar expression.

She doesn't look mad...but almost resigned.

"What do you know Maz?"

Soft words from Leia and the ancient woman turns to our General.

"What I need to know Princess. You've heard why I'm calling. Let me speak to the girl alone now."

"No," a growl from Finn who is standing right next to me, "whatever you need to tell Rey you can say in front of all of us."

"Young man," Maz pins Finn with only the displeasure in her voice, "I like your spirit and your loyalty to your friend but this conversation does not concern you."

"Too bad. We don't hold back secrets from each other, do we Rey?"

He turns his earnest eyes to me and I have to force myself not to turn away even as memories come unbidden to my mind.

Ren...the feel of his arms around me, his breath in my ear...the slight curve of his mouth as I slip the cold treat between his lips...soft laughter whispering through my dreams...

"We have to trust our allies," I find myself telling him, "or we've already lost this war."

I place my hand on his arm, "Maz wouldn't ask to speak to me alone if it wasn't important."

I can tell he doesn't like my answer one little bit but he has got to learn that though he is my friend that doesn't give him the right to run my life.

I decide that, no one else.

Finn opens his mouth but Poe steps up and for once I am glad of his obnoxious way of speaking over people.

"Finn, buddy, Rey has a point. We may not like it," he shoots me a dry look, "but we have to accept it."

"Yeah, fine, whatever."

Finn shrugs off my hand and stalks away from the comm area and that seems to be the signal for everyone else to leave.

Except for Leia...and Poe.

Maz folds her thin arms over her body and takes a leisurely sip of her drink.

"I said everyone, not everyone except the Princess and her second-in-command."

"Come on Poe, let's leave them to it, though I don't like this one bit Maz."

"Too bad. Now get out of here before this signal gets hacked."

Leia practically pushes Poe away who shoots me a look I know all to well.

He expects me to divulge everything to him and Finn after my 'private' conversation is over with.

First I want to hear what Maz wants with me and then I'll decide what to tell the boys.

As soon as their footsteps fade, I turn back to Maz.

Our 'privacy' was almost laughable. The comm center sat in an open forest with a few tarps thrown over the branches of the tree's to keep out the moisture when it rained.

"Alright Maz, what's with all the secrecy?"

"How was your trip to Pralis Six?"

Not the answer I was expecting and the nonchalance of her question has me on guard.

I trust Maz...but I don't always like her.

"Well enough, I suppose." I give a lift of my shoulder, "I got the part I needed...no thanks to your 'informant'."

"Nothing in life worth having comes freely child." A sip of her drink and I count to ten, reminding myself that Maz is old, ancient beyond anything I can imagine.

That doesn't mean I have to like the games she play's.

"You didn't have to scatter everyone to ask about my trip to Pralis."

"Oh," she leans back and interlocks her fingers, "then you don't mind them hearing about your 'side trip' into the city...with Kylo Ren at your side?"

I nearly choke on the air I'm breathing at her words.

I can only stare at her, my mouth falling open.

"How the hell do you know about that?" I hiss at her, moving closer and keeping my voice to a whisper.

"You should know better than to ask."

Right, Maz had contacts all across the known galaxies.

I sigh and shove hair out of my eyes.

"Yes, okay, Ren was at my side," I fist my hands on my hips and lift my chin, "what of it?"

"How long has been since you last saw each other? A month? Two?"

Physically? Two months, thirteen days and counting.

I refuse to answer and wait for her to speak.

A glint her eyes, seemingly able to look right through me. "Would you like to see him again?"

I blink at her...of all the questions she could have asked me...

"Wh-," I clear my throat before I give myself away, "why would you ask me that?"

"Oh, perhaps I thought you might be missing Ben Solo, but if I am wrong then I'll pretend this conversation never happened and tell Leia I made a mistake."

She was taking the ground right out from beneath me and I felt I had stumbled into a dream that I have no control over.

"Ben? How do you..."

I snap my mouth shut as she leans close to me through the holo-screen, no longer playing.

"I was there when he was born, Rey of Jakku, so I know more about that boy than you could possibly imagine. So I want an answer from you and no more questions. Yes or no?"

"Yes."

I didn't even have to think about and perhaps I should have hesitated because Maz is sitting back, looking pleased about something.

"Then you will need to come to Emphameria."

"When?"

"Immediately."

"For how long?"

"I estimate no more than three days."

Three days? Why three days and what did she mean 'estimate'?

These questions, and a dozen more, were on the tip of my tongue but her sharp look told me she would tolerate no more questions from me.

Too bad, I don't take orders lightly from anyone.

"Just what makes you think B-...I mean Ren, will even be there?"

"Oh, he'll come. I'll have something he wants."

Honestly I was having a hard time keeping up with Maz, my head was spinning.

"You think he's going...Maz he's the Supreme Leader now, he's not going to just drop everything on your say so!"

"You think not?" She shakes her head at me, "and here I thought you were smarter than this."

Now I'm getting angry.

"Maz, I don't know what you think you're up to but you're taking this too far. I'm done, no more games."

I turn to walk away but her next words stop me as though she had me on a chain and just pulled it short.

"Do you want to save Ben Solo or not?"

A roar of white noise in my head and I turn with uncomprehending eyes back to Maz.

She looks at me, no longer a woman who drowns herself in luxury, but a being of ancient knowledge.

"What do you know?"

"Come to Emphameria, Rey, and finish what you began on Pralis Six."

The blue glow of her projected image begins to fade in and out and I run to the signal booster, trying to keep her stable.

"Maz! Maz can you hear me?"

"...look for you...southern docking port..."

Her signal was gone and I slam my fist down on the box but it's no use. Either she was hacked...or she's far enough out of range that the feed cut out naturally.

"Damn it Maz!"

Now I had no choice but to go.

Just what did she mean 'finish what I began'? I had no idea and it looks like the only place that question was going to get answered was on Emphameria.

Now all I had to do was convince Leia, and the boys, that I needed to go Emphameria.

Alone, just as Maz requested.

"This is not going to be pretty." I run my hand through my hair in agitation...only to remember I have lubricant on my fingers from messing with the sensory glitch.

Could my day get any worse!