He wakes slowly, disoriented. It's like that sometimes on these trips. A different city, a different hotel every single night, nothing where it usually is. He'll often get up and run into beds, into the wall even, when he turns the wrong way in the middle of the night, groggy and confused as to just which way the bathroom really is.

But this is more, somehow.

He feels something heavy and warm on his chest, and he almost shoves it off before a little sliver of memory returns to him.

Rey.

It's Rey whose head is on his chest, sleeping peacefully curled up close to him. He really shouldn't disturb her, but he also really should go back to his own room. He knows how this would look to everyone else, sleeping with one of the people whose safety he has been entrusted with. His father would be…

Actually, no…his father would be proud. He's pretty sure his father has slept with more than one of the people who have been on his tours and the thought always made him feel a little disgusted. And here he is, no better than him. Dear old Dad would be so impressed.

He lets out a soft snort, and slowly slides himself out and away from Rey. He supports her head with his hand until he can slide the pillow under it. She shifts a little, mumbles something in her sleep, but doesn't seem to come fully awake.

He should feel terrible about sneaking out.

They'd woken once in the middle of the night to a repeat performance from earlier in the night. It had been even better, slow and lazy. They'd taken their time with each other's bodies and fallen into another exhausted heap.

They have another condom, he thinks. They could do it one more time. But he knows he shouldn't. It's getting on toward the wee hours of the morning and he has planning to do for the next day. The last thing he wants is to be caught doing the walk of shame. So he sneaks out, shutting the door quietly behind himself and breathing deeply once he's in the hallway.

You're a coward, Ben. He can hear his father's voice in his head as he makes his way back to his own room.

I know.

She wakes delightfully sore and yet, at the same time, refreshed. It had been an amazing night of sex, hard and fast the first time, full of frenetic energy and near-desperation, slow and languid the second time, full of emotions she's not really sure she wants to identify.

But now?

Now he's gone.

She wakes cold, her head under a pillow placed a little awkwardly on the bed, with just a sheet tossed over her. He's left no note and the only sign he's been there is the smell of sex in the room and the used condoms in the trash bin.

What is she supposed to make of that?

She wonders if he regrets it. She doesn't. How could she? It was mind-blowing, really, and even if she doesn't get to see that elusive tornado she wants to see so badly, the whole trip is worth it for the sex alone.

But she'd felt such a connection to him, like they were on the same wavelength, and then he disappeared in the middle of the night.

She gets ready slowly that morning, carefully packing up her bag, making sure her camera and laptop are ready to go. She formats her memory card for the camera again, checks settings, and finally gets it all together. It's their last chase day. Tomorrow will take them back to home base. Her flight leaves in the evening, and then she'll have to say goodbye to Ben. Maybe forever.

It hurts.

And it hurts that he's left her in such a way. She doesn't know what she expected. He'd made it fairly clear that they shouldn't be doing it, so why is she surprised when he escapes before he can really face what they'd done?

Face it, Rey. It's just a fling to him. She heads out the door and steels herself for facing him again. She can treat it as such. Just a fling, no big deal.

Just mind-blowing sex.

Just a connection she's not sure she's ever felt with anyone before.

No big deal.

She can do this.

His head shoots up every time someone walks into the little breakfast area. When it's finally Rey that makes her way in, he watches her for a second before quickly looking back at his computer. She doesn't approach him right away, instead going to the little continental breakfast that's set up, loading up a plate full of various items.

He doesn't know what he expected. For her to declare her undying love for him in front of everyone? Maybe for her to be mad? But she looks calm, he realizes. Resigned, almost.

He looks back to his computer, studying the maps, the radar. Things are looking good to the north today. An easy four-hour drive up to somewhere in Kansas should get them to just the right spot. It's extremely hot out there on the plains that day and a cold front is whipping across from the west at a good clip. When it collides with all that warm air, that is where things are going to happen. He can't pinpoint the area exactly. No one can. But he can get them headed in the right direction and fine tune things as they go along.

This one looks classic, arriving late afternoon and into the early evening. Even now, the meteorologists for the area are predicting an 80 percent chance of a severe thunderstorm, tornadoes possible. It's their best bet so far to see some truly severe weather on this trip, and he hopes he can produce something for them.

"You screwed up, huh?"

Ben startles, looks up. Chewie is standing there and there's such a look of disapproval on his bearded face that Ben sighs. Rey appears to have left the room and he feels his shoulders sag. "I guess?" Ben says, running his hands through his hair, tugging lightly on the strands. "Probably? I…"

"Don't tell me how," Chewie interrupts him with a grimace. "Just go fix it."

"I'm not sure if I can."

His uncle grunts and then sits, watches him.

"What?" Ben asks. He can feel his cheeks heat a little.

"It's okay to be with her," Chewie says.

"Uncle…"

"It is. Your father…"

"I don't want to hear about Dad."

Chewie smiles. "I'm sure you don't. But I'm going to tell you anyway." Ben considers putting his hands over his ears. "Your father wouldn't begrudge you the love of a good woman."

Ben snorts. "Love? We barely know each other."

"Do you?"

Ben frowns.

"I think you know each other better than you realize." Chewie glances down at the radar in front of Ben. "Lookin' good for today." He stands then, puts one big hand on Ben's shoulder. "Just think about it, kid." He strolls off whistling and Ben just wants to put his head in his hands and forget about all of this.

They leave soon after breakfast. Ben tells them it's only about a four hour drive to where it looks like the storms are going to form. He's keeping a close on this one because it could be huge. They're looking at a strong possibility of a massive supercell, maybe a tornado if they're lucky.

They stop for a leisurely lunch. There's plenty of time, he tells them, and there's no need for them to get out to any one area hours ahead of time. The storm could shift and that would mean getting back in and racing to find it.

He doesn't say anything to her on the way up, but Rey catches him watching her. She smiles at him once. His face goes beet red and he quickly looks back at the computer in front of him. They'll need to talk. Or at least, she needs to talk.

Rey finds a seat at the diner. Not with Ben. He's off by himself, Chewie nearby. He has his computer out and he's so focused on it.

"So…" Rose says as she sits down in front of her. Jannah joins them as well, and she looks at Rey, then at Ben, and back again. There's a smirk on her face and a glint of mischief in her dark eyes. Rey offers her an exhausted smile.

"Long night?" Jannah asks.

"What? Why? Do I look exhausted?"

The other two women laugh and exchange glances. "Our room was next to yours," Rose points out.

"Your… Oh God." They laugh again and Rey just wants to hide under the table. "I didn't think…"

Jannah shrugs. "Honestly, if that tree of a man came after me, I wouldn't think either. Fuck him and be done with it. No emotions, just good old fashioned knockin' of boots." She reaches out and slaps Rey lightly on the upper arm. "Good for you girl, for getting that. I suspect you both needed it."

"If the noises coming from the room were any indication, they definitely did," Rose says. More laughter. Rey can feel her cheeks heat. She glances up and sees Ben watching them with wide eyes. His gaze flits from Rey to the other two, takes in her no doubt bright red cheeks and the mirth on the other women's faces and then he turns red.

"Oh how cute!" Rose exclaims. "He's embarrassed too."

"Rose," Rey says and she tries to sound menacing. But then she finally smiles. "Yeah well, it was fun."

"Just fun?" Jannah asks, one eyebrow raised.

Rey leans forward, keeps her voice down. "Okay fine, it was the most mind-blowing sex I've ever had, alright?"

"Now that is more like it!" Jannah says. "So tell us all about it." She reaches out to pat Rey's hand. "Is he hung?"

Rose laughs.

Rey throws her hands up in the air. "Can we change the subject?"

"Oh come on, this is the juiciest thing going," Rose says with a pout.

"Why don't you go talk to the lover boys?" Rey asks, waving a hand to where Finn and Poe are in close conversation. "I'm sure they have something even juicier."

"Plenty," Jannah admits with a laugh. "We already got that out of them though. So we want to know about you guys."

"You're too much," Rey says. "And there's no 'us guys.' It was a one-time thing, scratching an itch and all that."

"Sure, Jan," Jannah says.

They drop it though, and Rey is thankful for that.

When they return to the van after they leave, Ben almost stops her. She sees him reach out a hand toward her, but then he pulls it back in, clenching it into a fist and turning away. Rey watches as he boards the van, his eyes downcast.

They really need to talk.

They stop one more time on the way up and Ben spends far too long hiding out on the van.

No, he's not hiding.

That's the wrong word.

Okay okay, he's hiding. He lets the group get off and hit up the convenience store. It's bathroom break and snack time for everyone. Once they get to the zone where the storms are likely to strike, they won't have time to stop. Today is a real chase day.

None of them know it yet, but the storms they're tracking are showing every sign of turning into something major. A supercell at the very least, but there are signs that this may be even bigger than that. He's not telling them that. He can't, because if he does and it all fizzles, there's going to be disappointment. And anger. He hates the anger.

It's why he doesn't do these tours, why he left to go chase storms with the First Order, chasing storms for a television show he's not sure many people even watch. He was the bad boy of the group, all dark hair and black clothes and sunglasses. There, he didn't have to worry about people. He did his own thing and if the storms fizzled, it was what it was. They'd film again the next day.

But here he has people who are relying on him to get them to the best spot. People who spent money, who have their heart set on finally seeing something.

And so he stays in the van while everyone gets off, waiting until they've been gone awhile before finally closing up his laptop and hopping off to hit the bathroom and find something to drink. He finds Rey standing in line, a large fountain drink of what looks like Mountain Dew in one hand, and maybe three or four different kinds of candy bars in the other.

"Brain fuel," she says, a sheepish look playing about her face.

"Is that what you call it?" He tries for a bit of a smile, but he knows it must look like a grimace. He doesn't know what to say to her.

"Ben…" she starts to say, then clamps her mouth shut.

"I'm sorry," he says quickly. "I shouldn't have…"

"Oh." He watches as her shoulders fall.

"No…I mean…that's not what I meant…" He cringes as he tries to find the words. He can't quite find purchase inside his mind to grab onto them.

"No?"

He sighs. "No. I mean…maybe we should talk sometime? About…you know…"

She glances around. "About what we did last night?"

He nods.

"I know."

His hand comes up to brush a lock of her hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear. She smiles at that, and it warms his heart. He did something right. He doesn't, usually, when it comes to women. There's a reason he's never really had a real relationship, and why even the couple lovers he's taken have been one-night things that never went anywhere.

Cold and aloof. And he's always prided himself on that. Until now at least.

She watches him for another moment, tilts her chin up. "I don't regret it," she says, and there's something resolute behind the words. "I don't," she repeats.

He studies her for a second and fuck if he doesn't want to lean down and kiss her right there. He looks around though, sees Rose and Jannah watching them, sees Finn and Poe off looking at the various bags of chips in the junk food aisle, Paige glancing up from where she's looking at the magazines. He shakes his head. No, that certainly won't do.

He turns away, and he can see the look of disappointment she tries to hide.

"I…" he starts to say, blinks his eyes hard. "I don't either." And then he rushes back out of the store, heading back to the van alone.

Always alone.

They've made so many twists and turns that Rey really isn't sure where in the plains they've landed when they finally come to a stop and all tumble out of the van. "Set up," Ben says as they all fan out over the area. "Storm's coming from that direction." He waves one hand to the west. "Be ready to run for the van." At that he makes it a point of meeting everyone's eyes, though his slide away quickly from Rey's when they meet.

"Are we…" Finn starts to ask, then clears his throat. "Could this thing kill us?"

Ben lets out a little huff of laughter. "Chewie's driving could kill you," he points out. "But no. We'll be staying far enough away. But we may have to get back to the van and take off quickly if the storm turns." He raises a hand to stop Finn's next question. "Either to get out of its way or to get into a better position. Take everything but the necessities back to the van once you set up. You may only have time to grab the tripod with your camera attached and race back." He nods at Rey, and she smiles a little at that.

There's a flutter of excitement inside her, the feeling that they're in the right place, the right time. That this is it.

She knows it may not be.

She fears it may not be.

Not everyone sees a tornado, Rey. If you don't, it's just another reason to go on another tour, see Ben again. If he does another one. If his father is still unwell or doesn't want to return.

It's a lot of ifs.

She moves a bit away from the others, studies the horizon line, and then sets up her camera. She tucks her lightning trigger into her pocket. She may need it eventually and it's better to have it at the ready. It takes no time to hook it up and she already has it set up for exactly what she needs.

After she's moved the rest of her things back to the van, it's the waiting game.

The storm is still far off. Ben is sitting on the step into the van, laptop still open, watching, waiting. Every once in awhile he looks up and meets her eyes, and she looks away. As if she's not studying him, wishing he'd come over near her.

She feels a little better, knowing he doesn't regret it. But there's still so much more to say, so much more she needs to address. Or would address, if she had any idea at all what to say, what she's feeling about the whole thing. It feels somehow more than just a one-night stand and yet at the same time, that seems to be what it is.

With a sigh, she sits down on the ground next to her tripod and watches the horizon. Where they're situated, it's still bright and sunny. But there are dark clouds on the horizon. The map she's looking at shows that the storm is still more than an hour out. It's moving quickly, covering ground at an incredible rate, but it's still a long distance away.

She's surprised when she feels a presence next to her and looks up to see Ben there, camera in one hand, cell phone in another. "Mind if I sit here?"

She watches him for a moment, but then finally nods her head, slowly. His face lights up with a half smirk and she feels herself melting a little. She's not the only one. She's sure of it. He feels something, more than just a good fuck in the middle of an interesting vacation, not just a way to pass the time.

There's definitely more.

"I'm sorry," he murmurs.

She can't quite bring herself to look at him, to meet his eyes. "For?"

He sighs, "Leaving. This morning. I shouldn't have just…left like that."

"No," she says before she can stop herself. "You shouldn't have. I thought you were embarrassed."

"I was," he says and then cringes. "I mean…not because of you. Never because of you." One of his hands reaches out and lightly touches her on the knee. "Because of…"

"Yeah, I know. I get it." She doesn't need him to elaborate. She knows his feelings on being involved with someone on the tour. "Storm's getting closer," she says with a nod to his cell phone.

He glances down and then back up at the horizon. She can see lightning now, still a bit far off, but the clouds are gathering. They're darker, and she's starting to see the line where they're coming up across the plains. The radar indicates they're not moving directly at them, instead moving a bit northeast. But Ben is watching carefully, his eyes glued to his screen. She knows he's looking for any indication that it's turning in their direction.

He'll keep them safe.

So she stands, hand resting lightly on her camera, as the storm creeps ever closer.

They can see the clouds moving now, can see the occasional streak of chain lightning hitting the ground. The air around them feels alive, somehow, crackling with intensity. The hair on the back of her neck stands up, and she feels cold despite the heat of the Kansas summer air.

She grips her camera hard, changing the view to her LCD screen so she can see the composition at the same time she can watch the storm. She doesn't want to get buried behind her camera. She wants to see it, feel the power. The photos are important, of course. But the storm. That's why she's here.

So she watches.

And waits.

Everything happens slowly and yet quickly at the same time.

The clouds gather, come closer. In the space between one breath and the next, the world around them goes dark, far darker than she's seen so far. One moment it's a beautiful bright day and then they're plunged into a deep twilight. She can see the rain out on the plains. It's dry where they are, the winds high enough to flatten the grasses, their area still untouched. Out there, somewhere, it's the type of torrential downpour that accompanies these kinds of severe stores. Heavy rain, hail, lightning, thunder. It has everything.

The storm grows, the wind howls, and she realizes there's rotation. Not the weak rotation they'd seen on the storm their first day there, where it appeared and disappeared almost as fast as they'd seen it. No, the massive clouds are starting to move counterclockwise as the storm continues its march across the plains, gaining speed and twisting tighter together.

Time slows down. It all happens so quickly, but when Rey looks back, it feels like she watched it forever. When she views the pictures she took, it was just a minute, maybe less. That's all it takes.

A little pouch begins to form, just a small dip in the clouds.

Rey hooks up her wireless shutter. She doesn't want to miss the storm, but she wants the memories. Ben is next to her with his camera, and she glances over at him. His eyes are bright, focused, his camera held loosely in his hands. Chewie is videotaping it all, and Rey is surprised at how uninterested in the whole thing he seems to be.

She cocks her head slightly to the side and the big man shrugs. He says something, but as the wind is picking up, she can't quite hear him.

She turns back to the storm.

Ben glances at his phone and nods. Everything seems to be in order.

The pouch beneath the clouds starts to extend toward the ground, turning into more of a cone shape. Rey finds herself holding her breath. It twists, moves up back into the clouds, but then moves down again from another area. This time the spinning is more intense, and she stares, eyes wide.

She almost forgets to hit the shutter she's holding, but she feels a hand come out to lightly brush against her arm and she blinks. Right.

She's firing off shots, she has no idea how many. It doesn't even matter. The cone gets bigger, extends further. She sucks in a breath as it nears the ground.

And then it hits.

"Oh my God," she whispers. No one can hear her over the scream of the wind, she can't even hear herself, But it doesn't matter. It's there and she feels energized, powerful, like she could draw it down herself, smite her enemies. She takes a step forward. "Oh my God!" she shouts.

"Tornado!" she hears someone else shout.

She sees a flash of something out of the corner of her eye and hears Poe shout "Let him go. He'll feel safer on the van." Even with the wind, she hears him loud and clear. For a moment, she feels sorry for Finn, but she hopes that it does something for his terror outside of making it worse.

The tornado snakes its way across the plains as they watch, the sound of the wind, the sound of it chewing up the ground hitting them like a freight train. There are rumbles of thunder, lightning. It's like being on the edge of that roller coaster and just hanging there, looking thousands of feet down and waiting for the fall.

She manages to look down at her camera and line up a few shots she likes, but then she sets it up to take shots every time it senses lightning, hoping to get some shot that's the real keeper. She has no idea what she's getting.

It doesn't matter.

She's watching a tornado, a real live tornado, right there in front of her. She turns then, her eyes meet Ben's, and she can't help herself. She takes a step toward him and is surprised to see him mirror her action, moving closer to her, his camera down at his side. He wraps an arm around her waist and pulls her closer and Rey simply flings herself at him.

He'll catch her.

She knows he will.

And then she's kissing him, kissing him like it's the end of the world and she needs to make sure she gets it all in before they're swept away. When they break apart, she realizes he's smiling. A big beautiful smile, not that half smirk she's used to. He laughs and it warms her heart like nothing else does.

He sets her down then and they turn, almost as one, to watch the storm until it finally dissipates as it disappears into the distance.