The nightmare always felt like it would end as a dream come true. Ben was able to bring back Rey, and Rey couldn't believe how he had sacrificed himself for her. And then as soon as that moment started is when it felt like it ended. Ben started feeling weaker, colder; and before he had time to tell her how he's always felt, he collapsed, lifeless in her arms.

He jolted awake, sitting straight up. His heart stung as he struggled to catch his breath, pressing his hand over his chest in an attempt to alleviate the stress. He was paralyzed with fear—unable to think—unable to breathe. But then he heard the sound of short, shaky breaths being made beside him. If that wasn't enough to snap him out of it, the sad sound Rey uttered next was.

Ben quickly lay back down close to her. With the nightmare still fresh in his mind he panicked seeing her in distress and desperately wanted her to wake up—uncertain whether she would. So he patted her cheek gently with his right hand while his left hand supported the back of her head.

"Rey," he anxiously said, "Sweetheart, please wake up." He started planting careful yet hurried kisses to her face, hoping for any response. "Please," he barely whispered as his emotions caught in his throat.

The familiar feeling of his kisses led to a somewhat soft awakening for Rey. Her body jerked mildly, and his name was the first thing that came to her conscious mind.

"Ben…" She faintly said with labored breathing.

Thankful to hear her voice, he pulled away so he could look at her. It was at this point that he started to realize it was just a dream. He noticed their surroundings, that Rey wasn't wounded anywhere, and that he was able to move freely without any pain. He also noticed the fear in her tired eyes, and the anxiety causing her constrained breathing. That's when he came back to reality, and so did his protective sense of wanting to be there for her.

He cradled her close to him. "I'm here," he reassured, "I got you."

Her hand came up to slowly caress his face as her eyes scanned him up and down. "Are you really here with me right now?"

She asked the question so genuinely, yet with such vulnerability heard in her voice. It broke his heart to the point of holding back tears. He knew that she needed more than just verbal confirmation, so he leaned forward to press a delicate kiss to her forehead. "Do you feel that?" He murmured against her skin. To further the sensation he continued down her face with tender, lingering kisses.

Rey closed her eyes, melting with every kiss. "Yes." she answered with a content sigh.

He backed away just as he was about to brush his lips over hers. "I'm really here right now, and so are you." He said, his voice deep and convincing.

Feeling relieved, she opened her eyes; and the first thing she saw was that smile; that beautiful soft smile that told her everything was going to be okay. And everything would be okay as long as she saw that smile, that's when she became paranoid that it might fade away. Being that she was only half-awake, uncertainty moved her to kiss him as if it were her last time. Reluctantly breaking the kiss she shifted her position to burry her face into his chest, sliding one arm under his side while her other arm came up and around to meet it, bringing him in closer. She then intertwined her legs around his, successfully wrapping her entire small frame around his body.

"What are you doing?" Ben asked curiously as she tightened her hold on him in this odd position.

She was quiet for a moment. She knew deep down her reason for this was silly, and to make matters worse, she was finally starting to realize it was all just a dream.

"I'm— I—" her voice cracked, she felt ridiculous the more she thought about it, making her want to cry. Ben sensed everything she was feeling.

"Shhh…" he shushed softly, "You can tell me, sweetheart." He had such a powerful way about him to make her feel at ease; to make her feel less self-conscious about herself. It was thereafter that she timidly explained.

"If the force takes you away again… I want it to take me with you."

Tears immediately formed in Ben's eyes, making him grateful that she was so buried against his chest that she couldn't see. It was both the most adorable and heartbreaking thing he's ever heard. He chuckled lightly to himself with a slight turn of the head in disbelief.

"My sweet, Rey…" he said affectionately, "I won't let anything take me away from you. Not again." After giving her a gentle, comforting squeeze he continued: "The force that brought us together isn't going to keep us apart. And if it ever does I'll see to it personally. Okay?"

"Mm-hm." she hummed as tiredness overtook her. Ben hoped that she heard at least some of his heartfelt comments. But it was those very words that made her relax in the first place; giving her body permission to sleep. Soon her tight hold loosened around him, and her arms came back over folding onto his chest. Not long after that she was asleep in his arms. Ben had difficulty understanding how he had anything to do with her calming down so quickly—but somehow he did—and that made him feel quite satisfied.

However, with Rey taken care of, Ben now had his own emotions to deal with. He was able to distract himself from the nightmare by helping Rey through it, but now that she was asleep, he no longer had her to focus on, leaving him alone to his own thoughts.

The scene of the nightmare replayed all too clearly, causing his heart-rate to rise. The images were more like flashes—flashes of the most terrifying moments. He stared off, feeling trapped as he began to feel more and more consumed by it, second by second.

The sound of his rapid heartbeats along with Rey's intuitiveness to their bond roused her awake, just enough to be aware.

"You're heart is racing." The small voice remarked with loving concern.

His head shook a little, snapping out of the trancelike state he was in. It took him a while to process what she said, but once he did he felt bad for waking her. He didn't realize how far he had allowed himself to go, but he was thankful that Rey stopped him from going any further.

Not wanting to add his worry onto hers, he decided to act like nothing was wrong. "I'm fine." He breathed out a little shakier than he would have liked.

She then repositioned herself so that she was eye level with him, resting one hand on his cheek while the other hand rested over his anxious heart. "You're not." She said with a brittle voice.

Her eyes and her touch broke him. He lowered his head, almost ashamed for trying to cover over how he actually felt. Then Rey, lifting his head up, stared into his eyes, conveying sadness over how he felt but also warm assurance.

"It's okay to feel scared, Ben. I'm scared too."

After a loving exchange in understanding through the bond, Rey leaned in, kissing him softly on the lips. He kissed back gently, with all his love and appreciation being transferred into every kiss. Rey hummed blissfully in response.

As the two continued kissing in a rhythm, Ben started feeling so at ease that he began falling asleep. Rey noticed that his kisses were becoming slower as he drifted off, so she humored his last moments of consciousness by matching his light kisses. Once his lips stopped moving, she couldn't help but smile, gently parting her lips away from his. And with her hand still resting over his heart, she could tell it was back to a normal steady pace.

As she watched him sleep soundly, she started playing with his hair, brushing away any loose hairs from his face, then stroking the rest of his thick hair with her fingers lovingly. His eyes opened halfway at the touch, seeing her small heartwarming smile and her eyes full of love. The sight caused a sleepy smile to spread across his face.

"I love you." He said with a low, endearing voice.

"I love you too, Ben." Rey smiled.

"Do you need me to stay up with you?" The throaty voice asked.

She tried not to show her amusement at how sweet he sounded. "I'm good, love."

"You sure?"

"Yes sweetie, you just rest for me now." Her hand came to rest on his cheek while her thumb caressed there lightly.

"You rest too." He mumbled.

"I will." She yawned, feeling overcome with exhaustion once again.

He then cradled her tenderly in his arms. "Do you feel safe?" He asked, still half-asleep.

She nuzzled her head under his chin, curling into him more comfortably. "Very much." She quietly answered. "What about you?"

"Yes. I only feel safe when I'm with you." He wished he wasn't so tired, he was saying things that made him feel needy.

"Me too." She breathed.

His tired eyes widened with surprise. He wanted to say 'You do?' but he already knew there was no need to. Despite her genuineness and the fact that they were a dyad, he still found it hard to believe that Rey loved him so much; believing he's the last person deserving of such a woman. Yet there she was, nestled in his arms.

Rey's senses were still attuned to their connection even though she was practically asleep. And Ben found himself surprised once more when she started answering the question he thought about in his mind.

"When I was alone," she began telling him, "I never felt safe, I didn't know what it was like. But when we connected, that's when I felt it. Now I always feel safe…with you…only with you."

Warmth spread throughout Ben's heart. There was no better feeling in the galaxy than knowing he made her feel safe. To be the keeper of her safety though was another thing he felt undeserving of, but it was Rey herself who entrusted that to him—a privilege he did not take lightly. He kissed the top of her head, stroking her hair slowly. "And I will do everything in my power to keep you safe. Always."

She rubbed her head against his neck tenderly, placing a docile kiss against his neck.

A few moments passed by, then she spoke again.

"Ben?"

"Hm?" He twitched, transitioning from a restful state to a wakeful state again.

"Earlier, when I was worried you weren't really here, you kissed me to help me understand that you were actually here—"

"Mm-hm…"

"Could you…could you do that again?"

Now he was awake, turning on like a switch. He was always at the ready to be there for her, and now was one of those times. He positioned himself to be face to face with her. "Of course." He answered her warmheartedly but also with slight concern. Gently he started planting kisses all around her face, slowly, tenderly. He wondered why she wanted him to do this again and was worried she might be feeling afraid again. But he didn't need to know, his main concern was supporting her and that's all he wanted to do.

"I'm still here." he cooed, caressing her cheek to add another sense of touch.

She was enraptured by what she felt. His touch, his words, they were everything she needed at that moment. A content, low hum was heard from her as she allowed his consoling actions to lull her back into a peaceful sleep.

Meanwhile, Ben was struggling to keep himself awake, dozing as he tried to continue kissing around her face. "Rey… I'm sorry sweetheart, I just can't stay awake. I—"

The sound of a soft snore interrupted him. Rey had finally fallen into a deep, restful sleep, and he was stunned at the calming effect he had on her. He chuckled quietly to himself as he listened to the sweet sound of her peaceful snores. Brushing his forehead against hers, he shifted into a more comfortable position, his arms cradling her securely.

Ben quickly fell into a deep sleep himself alongside Rey. And the dyad in the force was at peace once again.