Sparks

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Chapter Three-Quiet Reflection

Leaving Finn and Poe alone to consider her request, Rey had left the sick bay with Ben after being discharged by the only doctor on the base. His cuffs had been removed on the proviso that Rey stayed with him at all times. She was now in effect Ben's guardian.

The first thing Rey did was take Ben to the limestone cave which was used as a hangar for the Tantive IV, and the command centre for the Resistance. Because the base was still in its early stages of construction, General Leia Organa's command ship, the Tantive IV, also served as a generator, barracks, and a primary meeting spot. Rey maintained a small section of the cave, where she'd spent so much time studying the ancient Jedi texts that she had recovered from the temple on Ahch-to. It was the place she had repaired her lightsaber and studied the kyber crystal within it.

The command centre itself was on the left side of the cave, with the Tantive IV in the middle, and Rey's Jedi section on the far-right side. There was also a small room which had once served as Organa's bedroom, while everyone else who wasn't on duty slept in the Tantive IV. The Resistance had also constructed a laser-cut trail, which led from the cave to the starfighter landing zone.

"This is my temporary home." Rey declared, feeling a twinge of embarrassment at her spartan quarters. She had seen Ben's private chambers on his ship, they may have been austere, but they at least afforded him privacy. Hers were on show for all to see. She hurried over to the jedi texts, which were strewn across her workbench and tided them away. "I'm sorry about the mess." She mumbled.

Ben stared around the dank corner of the cave slowly. Considering how important Rey was supposed to be to the Resistance, he was surprised that she had only been afforded this bleak corner. It made him angry toward her so-called friends, and in a way, his mother, that they couldn't even provide her with something a little more comfortable. He watched silently as she continued to clear her meagre possessions away in a frenzied manner, as if ashamed of what he might be thinking. This saddened him.

"Rey." Ben spoke her name softly.

Rey afforded him a brief glance. "Please, sit down." She said as she tightened the strings on the bag holding the jedi texts.

There were no chairs that Ben could see, so he lowered himself to the ground and pulled his legs underneath him. "Rey." He tried again. "Leave that."

"I'm not usually this messy." Rey apologised.

"It's your space, whether you keep it tidy or not is up to you." Ben ventured a smile.

Rey hesitantly returned it. "I expect you're used to much grander surroundings than this."

Ben winced slightly, thinking back on the quarters he'd been provided with on the various First Order ships he'd frequented over the years. The ones he had truly made his own had been on the First Order Mega-class Star Dreadnought Supremacy. The chambers had provided Ben with the isolation he needed in order to meditate on the Force. In the aftermath of the Battle of Starkiller Base, he'd returned to his chambers on board Snoke's flagship. It was there he'd discovered his mysterious Force-bond with Rey, a bond which allowed the two Force-sensitives to see and hear each other across the stars. It was hard to imagine how he had ever survived without the connection before.

"They were just places to sleep. I had no part in furnishing them." Ben explained, shrugging. "I only had a few personal possessions that I would take with me from place to place."

Rey thought about Vader's helmet, the one that had been prominently displayed on a marble pedestal like some religious artifact. During one of their last duels in his quarters, they had ended up knocking off the mask and destroying it.

"Is there anything you regret leaving behind?" She asked carefully.

"Nothing." Ben replied steadfastly, looking her straight in the eyes, like he'd known what she was thinking. "I want nothing from my old life."

Rey relaxed and settled down opposite him, sitting in a cross-legged position. "I didn't spend an awful lot of time here. A lot of my time was taking up with training…."

"Training?" Ben interrupted.

Rey fidgeted uncomfortably. She wondered if Ben had realised that it was his own mother who had taken on the task of training her in the ways of the Jedi after her brother's untimely passing. The jedi texts had been a vital resource in that regard. Luke's added notes on training had been invaluable to her and Leia. C-3PO had translated much of the text, which had helped Rey learn about the history of the Jedi and the Sith.

"Leia was overseeing my training." Rey admitted. Thinking of the fallen Resistance General brought tears to her eyes. As hard as it was for Ben to think about his mother, for Rey it was the same. She'd never experienced maternal love. Leia had been the closest she'd ever gotten. "I'm sorry."

"You don't need to apologise to me, Rey." Ben said softly.

There were times like these that his emotions were bruised, the same way as with a physical bruise, they take time to come up and really show themselves. He felt this way now in regards to his mother and the knowledge that she had invested so much time in training Rey, when she'd seemed incapable of doing the same for him. He couldn't help wondering how different his life might have turned out to be if only Leia had taken a step back from her political career, and overseen his own training, instead of passing him off to Luke. None of this had anything to do with Rey of course. He was glad that she'd had someone to guide her. He breathed deeply, taking the chance to mitigate his hurt feelings, reduce them, to render them more manageable.

"And I'm glad that my mother was there for you, that she was able to give you the guidance you needed."

"Oh, Ben." Rey breathed in understanding.

Ben felt himself becoming lost in Rey's hazel eyes- the marriage of warm honey hues and deep caramels was comforting. She was so beautiful, that beauty enhanced even more by her caring nature. That she could show him empathy, even after everything he'd done, astounded him. He remembered the stunned expressions on Finn and Poe's faces after she'd so boldly declared her feelings for him, both men clearly shocked that she could love a monster like him. She was so fearless, but so vulnerable too, in so many ways. He didn't deserve her, but would spend the rest of his life and beyond striving to do so.

"I've never had that before." He said huskily.

"What?" Rey asked curiously when she caught the glint of moisture in his eyes.

"Someone who's advocated for me the way you have." Ben could hardly speak because he was so choked up with emotion. "You kept believing in me, even after I let you down time and time again."

Rey lowered her gaze, shame washing over her at his blind belief in her. He was seeing her through rose coloured glasses, forgetting how many times she'd deliberately hurt him, in the moment of his mother's passing, caught up in her own darkness, she'd stabbed him. She couldn't forgive herself for that.

"You think too much of me, Ben. I have just as many regrets as you have. And I've made just as many mistakes." Rey's sadness came as a painful cleanse, it hurt like hell to own her past actions, but it was a necessary remedy in order for her to move on from them.

"We're a pair, aren't we?" Ben said, giving her a half smile.

Rey smiled back tentatively at first, her smile slowly broadening when she saw the love in his dark eyes. He had forgiven her long ago, in fact had never blamed her in the first place.

Ben thought her smile was the prettiest thing he'd ever seen, for it extended to her eyes and deep into her soul. He longed to kiss her again, but didn't want to presume. He decided to test the waters. "I want to kiss you again…. can I?"

The fact that he felt the need to ask made Rey's smile blossom wider. She nodded, feeling suddenly shy, her vulnerability shining through. Ben drew himself up onto his knees, moving closer as he inched his way toward her. Rey copied his movements, they met in the middle, heads slowly inclining toward each other, breaths mingling, anticipation building….

"Oh, my!" C-3PO's voice seemed to come out of nowhere. "My eyes must be deceiving me. It cannot be. Is it really Master Ben Solo?"

A/N-thanks for reading!