Force Dyad
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A/N-thank you very much to everyone who kindly read and reviewed the last chapter.
Chapter Sixty-One-The Gift of Hindsight
Looking back on that pivotal moment, neither Ben or Rey could ever recall who reached for the other first. From the time their lips were locked together the world itself ceased to exist, became blurred and indistinct as their bond opened, bathing them in gentle light, humming contentedly like the most perfect lullaby. In that heated moment of their first kiss, they were their purest and most vulnerable selves.
Not willing to hold back anymore, Ben pushed his lips more firmly onto hers and the wave of desire that ran through Rey was intoxicating, making her head swim as she pulled back to take in his beautiful face.
Ben wrapped his arms around Rey and felt her head rest upon his chest. All his thoughts stopped as if his heart took over from his head when she was close. He was so enamoured by her it was impossible to think straight. He gently squeezed his arms around her to check she was really there with him, really there and really real... and she was, body and soul.
When they kissed again, it felt different. While the first was of two souls combining, the second was the sweetness of passion, a million loving thoughts condensed into a single perfect moment.
Ben's full lips were warm and soft, moving in tandem with hers, until he gently coaxed them apart, his tongue sliding inside her mouth. Rey let out a small moan at the taste of him. She could feel his heart pounding against her own, their rhythms matching. His hand slid down her back, his fingertips drawing endless trails all the way, leaving burning paths in their wake.
Rey's body was doing things, reacting in ways to his touch that it had never done before. This was all new and exciting and it thrilled her with a yearning ache which she couldn't quite pinpoint. All she knew was that Ben was causing this, and he was the only one who could offer her relief.
His hand had travelled all the way to the small of her back, his palm splaying wide as he pressed himself against her a little harder. Rey's breathing quickened as she broke the kiss and tucked her head under his chin. She could feel the pulse point in Ben's neck against her lips, which were pressed into his throat, relishing in the warmth.
They stayed like that for a short while, just holding each other, drinking in each other's presence. Ben was the first to succumb again. Rey's lips were just too tempting. He kissed her again, and she felt his lips smile against hers when she quickly responded. He swept her hair aside and kissed her just over the collarbone. He nibbled at her ear playfully, setting off tingles all over her body. Rey hung her fingers on his waistband, dragging him closer. Ben buried his face in the curve of her shoulder, his hands flexing around her back. He gave a reduced groan. "This is the happiest moment of my life."
For some reason in that intimate moment Rey's insecurity came back for one last bite and she pulled away slightly, her anxious gaze scanning his face for any sign of doubt. It suddenly seemed to be too good to be true that he would overcome his inhibitions so quickly and give in to how he was truly feeling. "Is everything okay, really?"
Ben's face remained serious but still his trademark warm brown eyes showed her the truth. "So long as you're by my side, sweetheart, the rest of the galaxy can go fuck themselves." And that's just what she needed to hear, that he was hers for now and into the future... that there would be a future... one they would conquer together.
Even though they could have stayed wrapped in one another forever, time and circumstance had other ideas. The Falcon's alarms went off, warning that the environmental controls were failing. Their quick fix of the day before had caused more issues. They raced out of Rey's quarters to find poor BB-8 desperately trying to stem the tide of the problem. The jittery little astromech had plugged himself into the Falcon's network as he tried to find the source of the mechanical breakdown. He gave off electrical blue sparks as his internal circuitry became overwhelmed.
"Its okay, BB-8." Rey crooned. "We're here now. You can let go."
BB-8 emitted a mournful whistle as his dome head swivelled back and forth. Ben quickly echoed Rey's sentiment and finally the faithful little droid detached himself and beeped rapidly in relief.
The Millennium Falcon's loud alarms attracted Skywalker's attention. The former Jedi master slipped onto the ship, his severe expression softening as he recalled all the past adventures he'd experienced on board. He bypassed the corridor where he could hear Ben and Rey quietly conferring with each other on how to fix the problem. Instead, he made a detour and headed for the cockpit. As he settled down in the pilot's seat, he experienced a sense of nostalgia as he became lost in his memories.
The memories, both good and painful, ran through his mind like a series of holo-images. The negative memories came with a cost, as addictive as they felt, once lessons were learned there was nothing in them of value anymore. Skywalker knew he was going to have to come to terms with his failure regarding Voe. He had failed not only her, but all of his students-those whose lives had been sacrificed at the temple, and those who were still living-one of whom was his nephew. It was hard for Skywalker to accept that in failing to deal with his own personal trauma regarding Vader, he had unwittingly projected all of it onto Ben.
Following the end of the Empire and the death of the Sith Order, Skywalker came to have great hope for the future of the Jedi, coming to believe that if a single Jedi could help bring back balance to the Force, then a restored Jedi Order perhaps could maintain that achieved peace and prevent the dark side of the Force from ever regaining its hold on the galaxy. This belief had led him to scour worlds for the remaining Jedi texts and gather a new class of apprentices under his tutelage.
After Voe's betrayal led to the death of most of his apprentices, Skywalker had become embittered as well as grief-ridden and had decided his only recourse was to exile himself on Ahch-to, where he intended to spend the rest of his life with the intention of dying where the Jedi began, to forever end the Jedi. It had seemed like poetic justice at the time.
It was the biggest mistake he had ever made. He finally realised his wrongs and decided it was time to help the Resistance. He understood now, that instead of blaming himself, he had blamed the Jedi for his failures. His belief of the Jedi being romanticized deities with a legacy of failure remained, but he had gained a new perspective, that if one stripped away the sacred temples, lightsabers and even the legends about them, they were just good people the galaxy needed.
With this new insight, the positive memories came as a friend, they felt good and nourishing, allowing Skywalker a semblance of peace. He felt more confident, more well balanced and in control then he had in a long time. He would go back with Ben and Rey and finish what he had started. With the decision made, Skywalker left the cockpit, his steps much lighter as he went in search of his nephew.
He didn't get far before he was knocked off his feet as the Millennium Falcon was rocked to its very foundations by a terrific explosion coming from outside. The whole ship was plunged into darkness as the Falcon's internal systems went completely haywire. As Skywalker staggered back onto his feet, another explosion rent the air, this time from further away.
They were under attack. Somehow the First Order had tracked them down to Ahch-to.
Unbeknownst to them, Dameron-in a reckless attempt to prove to General Organa Solo that she had been wrong to cut him loose from the mission to retrieve the partial fragment of a map leading to Skywalker's location-had gone rogue. He had decided to head to Jakku alone to meet with Lor San Tekka. He, like everyone else, had no idea that Ben and Rey already knew Skywalker was on Ahch-to, so never intended to go to Jakku to meet with San Tekka.
The First Order had arrived on Jakku at the same time as Dameron and attacked the town of Tuanul where Poe had successfully obtained the map fragment from San Tekka. The First Order attack squad was led by none other than Voe, backed up by Ren and his knights. Voe murdered San Tekka and the knights took Dameron captive and had the whole village massacred.
After returning to the command ship-the Resurgent-class Star Destroyer named the Finalizer, Voe had successfully interrogated Dameron, retrieving the map from him and slotting the last piece of the puzzle into place after recovering the rest of the map from the archives of the empire. It led them straight to Ahch-to and Skywalker.
And once again, Ben and Rey, were caught up in the mess that others had made.
A/N-thanks for reading! Please review.