Rey's eyes no longer watch the sky, they stay permanently on the ground. Instead of being ready to run to the depot, her feet drag deeper into the sand until each step equals a thousand. She no longer scans the faces of those who pass her to see if they are recognizable. It doesn't matter anyway.

The dream is reality now. It's like no one can see her. If she could feel afraid, her skin would tremble anytime someone got close to her. What if they could walk right through her? There's a piece inside that's missing. The vibrancy humbling her ferocity is gone somewhere and all she is left with is those wild feelings she can't understand. Plutt packed it in Kit and the trader's ship and it's gone like they are.

In another time, Rey would scrap and fight tooth-and-nail for her life; her destiny. She would stop waiting for someone and rescue herself.

But in this time, Rey is tired.

The amount of tick marks on the wall remains the same as that day. Life moves on but Rey feels detached from it. It doesn't feel like she's fighting to live anymore but each day is more of a struggle than the last.

Rey tries to limit the time spent in civilization. The sight of the depot sets her stomach in knots, while Plutt sends her into a rage. His smirk becomes more pronounced every time she shows up with parts to sell. Her stomach sours at how he takes advantage of her passive nature, running the prices down even lower, but eventually she has to go.

The sun has set for today. Rey would go tomorrow if not for the sand storm brewing in the air. Something pushes her toward town. It has to be tonight or she'll be trapped without water for however long the storm stays.

She walks at a brisk pace, the wares she needs to sell strapped onto her back when she hears it. Not many people are out and fewer still react to such a sound anymore. It quiets and another cry echoes from close by. The staff is in her hand and she's creeping toward the sound before she knows it.

Staying on her path doesn't ever occur to her. Jakku shares its host of bad memories but she won't stand by and let more happen on her watch. No matter how hopeless she may be, Rey would never want the same for someone else.

Rey ducks into an alley staff in hand. The sounds of laughter and torment guide her. Around the corner is a group of men some no more than overgrown boys. They hover in a circle. The imposing bodies added together act as a cage for whatever is inside. It's a scene she knows too well. One that needs metal and gumption to get out of.

The crying continues and they yell down at whoever is there.

"…should teach you!"

"I think it's time to go home." She says before stepping out of the shadows and into the alley. Her blood pounds as they look at her.

Rey's smile is more akin to snarl. A fight would be the perfect way to end the day. She's ready and her body is already primed for conflict. She gets closer and sees the boy she bought Tuanulberries for so long ago. He's just as skinny but has a wild look under the tears.

"Why don't we call it a night. Leave the kid alone?" She says and hopes her itch for a fight isn't obvious. At least now she can tell herself she gave them a chance to leave.

"Go home, sweetheart. This isn't any of your concern."

Rey shrugs. The alley gets quiet and she can hear their breathing. The younger ones are fidgeting back and forth, deciding between running and fighting, while the older, more experienced folks, are sliding their weapons out as quiet as they can.

For a moment Rey closes her eyes, grounds herself and grins. This isn't how she thought the night would go. All she wanted to do was get enough credits to get some water so she could shelter in the storm. But now, staring down this group, it was like this was meant to be.

Everyone holds their breath in anticipation before the storm of the fight begins.

The man nearest to her reaches out to grab her wrist. Pain tingles along the tendons in her arm and Rey hisses before bringing her staff down on his wrist. He lets go with a groan, stumbling back a step when Rey brings her leg up and kicks him square in the chest. His breath stutters, gasping under the pressure, and the man crashes into one of the others.

Rey brings her staff forward. Cracked teeth go flying through the air as blood coats the end of her staff. Her body whirls and bends around the people coming at her. One strikes from behind and she ducks inches before his fist connects with her skull. Another one, smaller than the rest, jabs her side. While she holds it and tries to gain her breath the same one slices something sharp across her shin. Rey smiles.

It's not that she's winning. There are more of them. They are stronger and bigger than her, not to mention Rey is by herself. Still, it's invigorating. She can tell by their stances that they are taking her seriously. Their feet are angled wide mirroring with their hands raised to attack.

Rey jumps onto a bin of garbage to survey the chaos around her. She feels powerful. It's twisted in a way. She's hurting people even if they were just doing the same thing to someone else. Some of the men still standing turned toward her.

The dream from months ago dawns on her. One, powerful figure fighting alone against dozens. Rey's stepped into his shoes, for a moment. She is the lone person against all. Everyone is scrambling forward to fight her. Chills spread through her stomach in anticipation and dread at the faces frowning at her.

How would it feel to fight alongside someone like that instead of by herself? Life would have been much more bearable with someone next to her, she thinks. Someone who shared the same wild look that was surely in her eyes.

The men come to her and the fight continues.

Rey makes sure the boy is safe from the impending violence. The tears mixing with blood on his cheek stay in her mind. She can't find him anywhere in the alley from her point of view. Saving himself; it's smart. Better than what she's doing.

Someone catches her from behind, their fingers tangle in the buns she wears in her hair. The pain in her skull makes her sight go blurry. The hiss is automatic but Rey doesn't allow herself any other noise of weakness.

"Shut up." He says over his ragged breaths. Rancid breath washes over her. The urge to spit on him is strong but the hand in her hair tightens in warning. She swallows. The end of a gun pokes into her side. Cold seeps into her skin. It should chill her, scare her, to be this close to defeat but Rey doesn't feel any of that. All she feels is her heart raging in her chest. The man tugs her back again. "Not so smart now. Damn it. Look at the fucking mess she made of your teeth, Nott. I have to say it might be an improvement."

He laughs into her ear. The hot, breathy chuckle invades her space and for the first time she shivers.

"Fuck off!" Someone yells from below.

"Okay, girlie. You did good but the problem is you stuck your nose where it doesn't belong and now we have to do something about it. Right, men?" He urged them forward, making sure to keep his body plastered right beside her, stifling any thought of escaping for now. "It's a dog eats dog world after all."

How many times she uses those words to justify surviving in the way she does? Ironic that it is now after years of only looking after herself that she decides to contradict the mantra.

Rey understands they're fighting to survive. These people are just like her, doing what needs to be done to live on but so must she. Her wrists burn as she pulls away, kicks and yells so that nothing is easy for him. She can't even stop when the man jerks her to the side and the gun digs further into her side.

"What's going on here?" A familiar voice says from the entrance of the alley. All eyes turn toward the sound. This is not how she wanted to see Plutt again, his face peering at her with hard eyes behind the end of a blaster riffle.

Frustration begins to prickle at her skin, tugging and sliding underneath the surface. Plutt wouldn't hesitate to take her out. Their history, although beneficial to him at times, has always held a sort of sour tinge to it, for both of them. It's born out of reliance and survival and hatred of all of that. He's the last person she wants to see and judging by the hard set of his mouth, he feels the same.

But if there is one thing living in the desert has taught her is there is no constancy, no right or wrong, and no black and white. Plutt's next words confirm this contradiction.

"Let the Rat go."

All she can do is laugh. It bubbles up from her stomach and before Rey can do anything to stop it, she's full-on gasping in front of everyone. She can't help it, really, it's too funny.

How is it that Plutt, of all people, is there defending her? The amount of times he's told her how worthless and ugly and no-good she is. And Rey hates him and all that he stands for in her life. She hates how, if anyone, the sad excuse for a being has been in her life the longest. That he's seen her grow from a child to woman, and has taken every chance to belittle her.

Her stomach jolts. Knowing all this doesn't stop the surprise as a warning shot rings through the alley. The people around her shift back a step.

"I said let the Rat go and you all can go about your night."

The rifle points at the group just left to where the man's face presses against the side of her neck. Plutt is as serious as she's ever seen him. The hand loosens in her hair.

"Alright, alright. No need to be hasty."

Rey jabs her elbow back into his ribs. She hears a crack but pitches forward out of his grasp. It's only fitting she sticks her tongue out at him. Her position between Plutt and the men makes her vulnerable. Stuck between the two leaves her skin itching.

Rey turns to walk past Plutt. If his earlier defense is any indication then this is her safest bet. The men behind her murmur to themselves. Besides the groans, and she feels like groaning as well, the talk grows louder. She picks up the pace and tries to ignore it. The good deed is done and the bruises hugging her body will remind her of the choice for a while.

There's a loud sound, an echo bouncing off the walls and in her ears. How pure it sounds, ringing. And then there's pain. Fire engulfs her chest burning in a point and swiftly spreading outward. Her eyes widen as she catches Plutt's eye.

It's the first time she's seen this expression on his face. His eyes match her numb terror. The sort of furrowed brows and agape mouth that has never been focused on her before. Strange what this night is bringing her. His hands clench on the holster of the gun before the expression fades. It's replaced by the hardened look he's always worn. Plutt turns away before he can see her fall forward.

Rey hates him with everything in her but his cold expression hurt all the more, for some reason. If he hadn't shown any compassion she wouldn't have expected any different. But the words in her defense changed something and now, seeing his back, Rey can't stop the twist in her chest.

"What the fuck…."

"Nott…. why…."

"…asshole…My teeth…"

Rey gasps against the pain. Her body fights the sensation. It's foreign and terrifying and not right. She shouldn't be feeling this way. The burning pain is almost numbing in its entirety. What's going to happen when there's so much hurt that it becomes nothing?

She tries to move with it, to work with the sensation instead of against. It shoots into her limbs causing tingles to erupt everywhere. Rey staggers and falls as ungraceful as she's ever been.

The sand siphons out underneath her sideways. Each granule encompasses her in a divot shaped like her body. A faux version of herself, that will be gone in a moment or gust of wind. But isn't she the same? One particularly strong storm and she's gone in the sand. Rey is impermanent. It's apparent now more than ever.

The group she attacked stand behind her. Their yells fade to the background as she watches Plutt disappear.

It's a dog eats dog world after all, she thinks.

The thought of yelling for help doesn't even occur to her. Jakku has never offered help to those in need and it never will.

The wound on her chest feels large to her. It's too much to lift her arm up but all she can imagine is this cavernous, pulsing lesion. The pain wracking down her spine splinters into her limbs. Rey twists her head to the side and watches the sand stain maroon. In a perverse way, she is happy she's leaving a mark on this earth. It will be gone tomorrow but for now, it feels like her blood, her body might be one with the earth, that she will recycle into the world of another day.

There is one thing she wants to do – before.

"Kid," She tries though it comes off more as a harsh whisper. "Go 10 klicks west and there's my lodgings. I have some spare rations and credits tucked away. They're yours if you need them."

Her voice fails her and there's no reply. She hopes the boy has heard. It makes her feel strange to think her food might go to waste. All her life's saving might be lost to the desert unless the Tuanulberries boy finds it.

Her shirt sticks to her chest, letting a cold start to seep into her bones. Rey tries to turn her head up. She wants to see the sky. The alley fades away or maybe she doesn't care enough to focus.

When did the pain fade? This numbness isn't what she expected. It's unfeeling. It's nothing. And it weighs down on her. Her arms and legs are frozen against the oppression. Fog creeps in through the corners of her vision.

Rey blinks. Black boots enter her vision, walking toward her in slow, measured steps. They stop by her shoulder before knees slide into view. Large knees padded with some type of resistant black material sink into the sand. They look a bit absurd up close. Rey wants to smile at them. All she can make is a grimace.

Somehow, she knows this is important.

Rey wants – needs – to act despite her wound. It burns as she turns and tears roll down on cheeks but somehow, she manages to move onto her back. She can see the stars, bright and looming from her place on the ground. Any other night and she would be back at her walker, maybe on the roof, staring at them, wishing. Waiting.

Her head lulls over and she can see. Her breath catches.

Oh.

Oh.

It's him.

The man from her dream is here, kneeling next to her. Those brown eyes stare at her. They see into her. Rey feels exposed but not uncomfortable at the vulnerability. There's only acceptance and something warmer in them. The only thing not quite right is the frown muddling his features. The broken mask, the black crown, is nowhere to be seen.

His hand moves forward like he's done waiting for some invisible sign. She holds her breath. A curse passes his lips when it moves through her arm. Rey can't help but laugh at the redness of his ears. There's frustration blatantly written on his face. A furrow in his eyebrows along with a tension along his chin. He's so familiar to her now. Daydreams and nightmares have featured this stranger, Rey feels like she knows him.

"I know you." She whispers. Her voice crackles from effort. Rey takes in every detail, hoping, trying to drown herself in him. The freckles dotting his face, the curls escaping their confines behind his ears to flop on his face, his full lips.

"I know you too." He says back.

Time stretches. Seconds become minutes which soon lose all meaning. Rey can't feel anything more than a whisper below her neck. It's obvious what's happening, though. There's a detached feeling in her. The sticking patches of blood don't itch anymore and the gaping hole in her chest let's blood bubble in what's left of her lungs.

Rey's scared. After everything, Rey still holds that little girl, lost and afraid deep inside her. Her fingers twitch. She wants to run and hide in her walker. She wants to go back in time and never set foot in the alley. Rey thinks of all the things she wishes she could have done. Her hopes and dreams might seem small to others but she holds them in her heart. They're hers to foster and grow; to hang onto no matter what.

Fog crowds the same around them. The man moves again. This time he takes off his glove, exposing his wrist. A delicate hint of skin first. Then his palm, large and battle scared. And his fingers last. They're long and veined, almost double her own hand size. These are strong hands. Rey's transfixed as his hand moves closer. She can't take her eyes off of them.

They both hold their breaths as they watch his fingers creep closer to her. It would be such a simple touch, and yet, it would mean something. This means something.

Warmth.

His skin touches the bindings on her arm first. His hand is big enough to wrap around her bicep with ease, she thinks, but he only stays there for a moment. His fingers sear her. Rey's cheeks flame.

His other hand comes up, first to trail a finger down her cheek, leaving tingles in his wake before cupping her chin, the bottom of her cheek, and last moving to the back of her neck, cradling the base of her skull. His fingers slide between bits of hair and it's heaven.

She can feel. Like magic his touches, all light and fleeting, left a wake of awareness behind. Rey feels him. The numbness, better yet, the nothing is gone; fleeting in their oppression against her. Rey could cry from the warmth he gives her. The man tightens his grip and lifts her until she's sitting up.

It's a strange sort of embrace. He's crouched down on his knees, while she is relying on his strength in his arms for support. She's swaddled, covered, enveloped in his arms. Rey can barely hear over the sound of her heart beating. Its return to force a miracle in itself. Twitches in her fingers turn to flexing and eventually, with effort, she can move her hands fully.

Her racing heart doesn't improve as she begins to move away. There's a loss when the arms fall away from her but Rey needs to do this for herself. She sits up, surprise lights her eyes at how easy it is. It should be impossible but under these particular stars it seems as if nothing is. The impossibility of it all doesn't fall short for her. Rey knows none of this makes sense. Not the lack of pain or the feeling of warmth. Not this mysterious fog filled plane and bright, clear sky. And most impossible of all, not the man who has haunted her dreams and waking moments since she first laid eyes on his striking figure.

The man gets up and after brushing the sand off. It falls to the ground, disappearing into the fog but Rey can't take her eyes off of him. The confidence and cadence of his movements. It's ethereal to watch how graceful he is. He looks back to her and Rey holds her breath.

He extends his hand.

It hovers between them, waiting for her decision.

But there's no question whether she will take it or not. When once she hesitated, Rey moves in seconds. Her hand slides into his. It's returning.

Dimly she realizes she's right in her earlier observation and his hand is double her own. She wants to hold on forever. To take this freely offered lifeboat and never relinquish her stake of it. How can something be so strong and soft at the same time?

"I'm Rey." She says. Caution tempers her enthusiasm. Her instincts have protected her this long. So, she searches his eyes and squeezes his hand as tight as possible, letting steel seep into her mouth. Rey fights the urge to show her teeth and ends up smiling. He smiles back. His cheeks dimple. Rey's stomach flips as he pulls her up off the ground and closer to his hulking figure.

"I'm Ben." He replies.

The name doesn't really fit what she knows of him. It's so unassuming and tame. The moniker contradicts the warrior in her dream. She watches him waiting for her reaction. His voice is deep and like his arms, it warms her.

Realization hits. After months of eyes haunting her every step, she finally knows his name. It's more intimate putting a name to his face. She can begin to know him now. The possibility crashes against her, sweeping and pulling and engulfing her with the prospects this could bring. She longs for someone to share her space and live a life with, for someone to be a partner besides, and someone to know her. It's everything she wants – needs.

They're still holding hands and he makes to walk away into the fog when she pulls back and stops him.

Something in her chest tightens. An urge overcomes her, pressing her to check something. She feels unfinished, like she isn't done with what she was doing before, although Rey can't seem to remember what was before.

Ben's hand tightens.

"Don't look back." He says with another tug on her hand.

The fights still in her. Her willfulness to ignore and do what she wants are foundations deep inside but a small part of her knows what she would see; is scared to put an image to it. Ben's smile is strained but sincere. She watches wrinkles crinkle the corners of his eyes and wants to trust him.

There is no future with the girl lying in the alley, alone till the end.

Her hand flexes around his and they walk away, neither looking back.

"How did you know?" Rey manages to ask when words can come to her.

He turns toward her and bends down so their foreheads touch. Her heart races. She's struck with the intimacy of the action, the vulnerability. It's so endearing Rey leans into it. The stars are there, full of possibilities

They walk for what feels like forever and like no time has gone by. Her muscles never sore and though her life follows her it doesn't weigh her down anymore.

They reach a change in atmosphere, the fog clears. A door of sorts appears before them. It swings open after a moment and light shines upon them.

Rey sees a thousand possible outcomes of her old life. She sees battles and hardships, tears and rages. Some are filled with an endless loneliness and the familiarity of that makes her cry. But some are filled with laughter, full bellies, and life-long friends. Those also bring tears to her cheeks. Sometimes Ben is there as an enemy or something else entirely but no matter what past she sees, she can see how hard that girl fights. Satisfaction fills her.

The images change and Rey sees her future.

Rey turns to Ben. Her cheeks hurt and she's convinced she's never smiled as much in her whole life as she has at that very moment. Rey feels like she's shining and in return he shines back.

Ben angles his head to the side. His cheek caresses hers sliding down until their lips are even. His lips press against the corner of her mouth, no more than a whisper of a touch. Rey sighs, but she's done waiting and twists her head so their lips meet head-on. She's so warm against him and her universe widens to the feel of his lips against hers. The tentative swipe of his tongue against her lips and then a courageous answer from her. He tastes like the darkness before the dawn, like the promise of everything. Rey kisses Ben like there is no tomorrow and Ben kisses Rey back like they have forever and a day to love each other.

They pull away for air. Their foreheads rest against each other, breath mingling like a secret between them. Rey twists her fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck. Ben gazes into her eyes and softly whispers.

"I've been waiting for you, Rey."

Thank you for reading! Please let me know what you think.