Chapter 7

A Watery Veil

The warm days in the mountains slowly slipped by until a week had passed since their arrival. Daily trips into Vaas Minas, the village, gifted them with as many supplies and clothes as Ben's bag of credits could buy. Penma and the First Order were nowhere to be seen. Their mind trick seemed to have worked its magic. For how much longer they couldn't say.

When they weren't discussing plans with Exbi or exploring the forests surrounding the village, Rey and Ben spent the quiet hours sleeping, reading the books they had bought, or talking. Sometimes a conversation between them went on well into the night, memories and hopes and dreams laid out under a starry sky. If someone had told her that she and the Supreme Leader would be swapping stories like children at a sleepover, she would have carted them off to the nearest medical bay.

He did indeed a way with words, and his account of Madame Lefronte's dance lessons from a few nights ago had here rolling in her bed. Though she'd never been able to get a laugh out of him the entire time. She was curious to see him laugh but didn't push too hard.

Metal doors hissed open as Rey stepped back inside the shuttle, having just returned from a grocery run to the village. Luckily a few market stalls had been open that night and she decided to make a trip there before sleeping the rest of the night away. Cold air seeped into the cabin and Rey scrambled to shut the doors back up.

In the last few days their little ship had garnered a cozy vibe, as if they'd lived here their whole lives. The whirrs of the control panels seemed to chirp their greetings. New clothes were neatly folded of draped over chairs, ready to be worn. A few ration pack wrappers littered the dark floor, not unlike her old home in that imperial walker. A couple of new staffs leaned against the far side of the room, bought a few days ago. She kicked off her boots and set her bags down on a small countertop, smiling a bit as she settled into her bunk and pulled the covers over her.

Ben lay across from her under a brand-new knitted blanket gifted to them by a thankful Nove villager, eyes closed and breathing steady. His hair fell untidily into his face, as black and wavy as ever. Stubble had begun to line his jaw in the last couple of days. It wasn't a bad look, Rey had to admit that.

"How did it go?" he asked sleepily, shifting under his covers.

"Fine." Rey lay still for a few moments. "You know, you don't have to keep sleeping on that bench. Take my bed for the night."

"No, I'm fine here." He rolled over carefully, nose an inch from the wall.

"Come on, you can barely fit yourself on there. We're switching." Rey climbed down and dragged her blankets along. "Get up, you deserve the big bed."

"As you wish," he grunted, sitting up and shuffling to the bunk. Rey plopped down in Ben's spot, which still radiated with his body heat. Blushing slightly, she lay down while Ben almost fell into the mattress across from her.

"Thanks," he murmured, pulling his blankets up to his chin and closing his eyes.

Rey curled up on her makeshift bed and flipped the lights off with a small wave of her hand. Ben's dark silhouette still stood out in the near-darkness of the cabin, his snores already filling the air. It was as if he were making up for years of lost sleep in the span of a few nights, the way he just dropped off. He had mentioned the nightmares that day by the lake. They appeared to be under control now, at least.

It took her a few minutes to notice, but Rey caught herself staring at Ben across the aisle of the cabin. His large frame rose and fell with his snores.

How could he be so angry one minute, yet so gentle and patient the next? The first time they had met on Takodana, the rippling black robes and spitting red lightsaber of a ruthless monster had greeted her before taking her hostage. Now a mere man lay across from her, with a personality and feelings and stories he enjoyed sharing with her. To say this contrast perplexed her was an understatement.

They had both agreed to become friendlier to each other and disregard the acts of the past, but she was the one who held out her hand after the dance, as she had done on Ach-To. Why? Everything felt simpler before, when they partnered out of necessity. No need to complicate their already complicated relationship.

But she had wanted to reach out again. It was insane to her, but she actually enjoyed spending all this time with him. The time by the lake, the fight, then the dance. Something stirred just under the surface between them, and her more curious side goaded her to dig deeper and see what she could unearth. The other part of her begged for these new feelings to end.

Rey lay on her back and slid her arms behind her head. Whatever happened, she would eventually make it back to her friends and the Resistance, with or without Ben. She'd already been away too long, and her ears burned with shame when she realized how long it had taken her to consider contacting her friends again.

She looked over to Ben one more time before taking a deep breath and letting the weight of her covers lull her to sleep.

…

When Rey awoke late the next morning, the bed across from her was already empty. As she straightened up to find him, her back ached something dreadful. How Ben had slept soundly here for multiple nights and not complained was beyond her. One night had her wanting to scream into the heavens.

One of the staffs was missing from its spot on the wall. She snatched to other one, knowing just what her roommate was up to. Walking groggily out of the shuttle, she squinted in the sunlight and smacked the morning breath out of her mouth. Keeping her hair up had minimized her bedhead, but her robes were untidy. It didn't really matter, neither her nor Ben cared too much.

She found him a few hundred feet away, up on a small hill and standing in front of a tree, staff in his hands and feet wide in a fighting stance. He would swing the staff in hissing arcs but stop just before making contact with the bark. Wearing only a dark tank top and pants, she could see his muscles working as he trained. Surprisingly, he had put his hair up in a half-bun very similar to her trademark look.

"Are you planning on stealing my style?" she shouted to him, pointed at her own head. He turned and smirked, lowering his weapon.

"It keeps my hair out of my face, so I might consider it." He spun the staff in one hand while putting the other on his hip. "Did I wake you up? I left as quietly as I could—"

"No, you're fine. I woke up on my own and wanted to see what you were up to."

"I'm not up to much, just trying to stay on top of things." He sent his staff swinging at the tree once more, stopping it just inches from the bark.

Rey nodded, biting her lip. She rolled her own staff in her hand.

"You want a bit more excitement?" she asked with a smirk of her own, pointing her weapon at his chest and readying her own stance.

Raising his eyebrows, Ben suddenly lunged forward and swung from the side. Rey blocked his blow and returned with a jab to his midsection. He managed to jump out of the way and swing with both arms, the staff whistling as it came towards her.

Another block, this time with Rey pushing her staff out and spinning around to get at his left leg. To her satisfaction her swing landed right where she wanted, forcing her opponent to take a knee. As he struggled to stand up she held her staff inches from his neck, baring her teeth.

"Not bad," he muttered, "Let's see if you're so lucky next time."

He clambered back up and bent his knees. Rey came at him again, striking straight down. Ben held up his staff and caught her just before he suffered a blow to the head. She jabbed and slashed at him and quick succession, but to no avail. Rey panted and swung harder and harder. He swatted away each attack, but with growing difficulty. That steely look in his deep brown eyes had returned. It was enough to bring back memories of their clash on the collapsing Starkiller Base, when she was good, and he was evil, and the world was blissfully black and white.

Rey mistimed her chance to block and Ben forced the staff out of her hands. It landed on the pine needles with a crunch that signified her defeat. He aimed his staff over her heart.

"You got me that time," she admitted, a little flustered. She did have to keep in mind that he was fully active this go around and not incapacitated by a massive wound to the side.

"Again?" he asked.

"I'm all for it."

Now they fought tooth and nail, staffs slicing the air and smashing against one another with loud clangs. Rey experimented with new counters and thrusts, but it was as if Ben could read her mind. He most likely could, come to think of it.

Despite the ferocity of their attacks, Rey found herself grinning as they wailed on each other. Every nerve in her body tingled with newfound awareness. Sparring with Finn and Poe had been fun, but what Rey had really craved was a true challenge. For the first time in a long time, she felt engaged and powerful.

Ben placed his hands near the ends of his weapon and forced himself forward. Rey mirrored his position and in seconds they pushed against each other in a kind of stalemate. She could hear his heavy breathing and see a bead of sweat run down his forehead. His back was to the slope of the hill and Rey found her chance. She called upon all of her strength and rammed against him.

Ben yelled as he toppled over backwards. His foot caught Rey around the calf and she let out a scream as they both fell and tumbled down the hill, flinging pine needles and leaves into the air. Each slam onto the ground earned her a new bruise for later.

Ben stopped rolling just before Rey. He was splayed on his back and breathing heavily when Rey bounced toward him, crying out with each impact. Before he could even react, Rey landed squarely on top of him, face down. They both grunted painfully, then Rey froze, realizing the position they had fallen into.

His body practically dwarfed hers, rising and falling with each breath. Her nose was inches away from his and his and it proved impossible not to meet his gaze. Rey felt as mortified as Ben looked, his cheeks burning red as if from a high fever. And she thought holding hands was as far as physical contact was going to be.

A few seconds passed and neither of them moved a muscle. His heart beat scarily fast, Rey could feel it against her own chest.

With a strangled gasp she rolled off of him, wishing to be buried under the ground where she lay. Ben sat up next to her, combing needles and pebbles out of his hair. His blushed covered his entire face and neck now.

"I'm so sorry, I had no idea that was going the happen," she whispered.

"It's alright." He sounded like he had been hit over the head with a frying pan. Standing up shakily, he held out his large callused hand to her.

She took it gingerly and he lifted her up, avoiding eye contact. Her heart seemed to bruise her ribs from how fast it pounded.

"Should we call it good?" His voice sounded a few octaves higher than usual. Their staffs had flown down the hill and landed a few yards away. With a swift beckoning motion, they flew towards him to rest in his shaking hands. Fighting in the snow with a gut wound or facing highly-skilled guards did nothing to shake the mighty Kylo Ren, but a girl falling on top of him proved to be much more than he could handle.

"Yes," she returned briskly, "let's head back."

They began their short walk back to the shuttle. Each footstep Rey took seemed to echo in the awkward silence that flourished between them. Ben kept his head low and his eyes to the ground.

"Thanks for the spar," Rey said.

"Don't mention it."

"I still beat you one round. Looks like you still need some practice."

"But I got you another time, didn't I?"

"And that last time didn't end well…"

"Call it a draw?"

"Yes, let's do that."

Their shuttle had just drifted into view, covered in the dappled sunlight shining through the trees. They clambered through the door and plopped down on the bench, wiping sweat from their brows.

"So…what's on the schedule for today?" he asked.

Rey shrugged. "We could head down to the marketplace and buy some more food, or fill up the canteens or…"

But she drifted off. A high-pitched ringing slowly increased in volume in her ears and something was pulling at her chest, as if someone had tied a string to her heart. Her eyes widened in surprise and she raised her hand slightly, hoping to place the sensation.

"Do you feel that?" she asked quietly, meeting his eyes. They were as shocked as hers. His mouth was open in awe.

"Yes."

They both stood up simultaneously. The feeling grew stronger, and Rey had the inexplicable urge to go back outside. She opened the doors and wandered out into the forest, Ben following closely. Deeper and deeper into the darkening woods they walked.

Half an hour passed, each step forward increasing the intensity of the pulling force. Neither of the spoke but kept moving, trance-like. Rey had a bad feeling about this, but something told her to keep moving, her very livelihood depended on it. Stepping over fallen logs and piles of stones, they finally reached what they assumed was their destination.

A narrow waterfall crashed down into a clear pond a hundred feet away. The tall cliff the water spilled off of concaved inwards, as if an ocean wave were carved into dark stone. Their boots seemed to hit rock, and Rey peered down. Strangely, the ground all around the waterfall was made up of small stone rods, each on perfectly hexagonal in shape and ascending upwards towards the falling water like stairs. Maybe it was just Rey, but the air itself hummed with an energy so faint she questioned that it was really there. It was as if this whole place was holding its breath for something, but what could that be?

She began to climb the rough stone steps up to the tumbling water. Ben hesitated at first but then followed a bit behind, his eyes raking over their new, alien location in search of anything threatening.

"What is this place?" he asked

"I don't know." All Rey knew was that the waterfall called to her. Something beyond that shimmering sheet of water waited for them.

Drops of moisture hit Rey's skin as soon as she climbed the last step. The waterfall thundered in her ears, almost blocking out her own thoughts. As they both stared into the shallow depths of the pond, she noticed an odd detail. There was no stream branching away into the forest, nor did the maximum depth of the pond seem to exceed a couple feet. No matter how much water poured into the little pond, it never overflowed. This was no natural phenomenon of the forest. The Force had to be connected with everything here.

Slowly, she stepped into the pond, water filling her boots as she waded further and further in. Ben stepped in after her and stopped by her side. Only an arm's length separated the pair from the shower ahead of them.

"There's something there," she breathed.

"I feel it, too."

His expression was unsettled, but he pressed his lips together and gulped. He waited for her to make the first move.

She reached out to him. "Together?"

The warmth of his hand enclosed hers.

Her fingers brushed against the falling water. Each drop fell fast and cool on her skin. Then her whole hand was under the fall, then her entire arm. With closed eyes and a deep breath, they both lunged forward through the curtain of water, Rey's hand outstretched to find the rock wall concealed behind the fall. A chill ran down her spine, though it wasn't the chill of the water that was responsible.

She kept her arm stretched out, but no stone came to meet it. Opening her eyes, her heart almost stopped, and she gasped aloud. The waterfall, the stones, the forest trees: they were all gone.

Rey now found herself in the middle of a wide-open field, grass rippling in a warm wind that swept over her. The sky above her was a smooth gray, but the sounds of distant blaster fire and shouting and mechanical whirs echoed in the distance, disturbing the peace. A cold sweat ran down her back as she sprinted forward towards the commotion.

In only a few moments she had reached the edge of a cliff and looked out into another sea of yellow grass. Only this time she had landed herself on the outskirts of a chaotic battle.

First Order walkers lined one side of the field while the fighters of the Resistance kept a tight formation on the other. In between the monstrous machines raged a firefight, green lasers flashing past red as stormtroopers and Resistance soldiers fought in the flesh. Desperate orders were yelled, screams erupted, and engines roared. But before Rey could take one more step and help her friends, a collective cry of joy rose up among the Resistance. A small shuttle had just touched down behind the wall of soldiers and out jumped Finn and Poe, blasters blazing, and… herself.

This version on Rey was dressed in all white and held what appeared to be Luke's lightsaber, newly repaired and shining a deadly blue. Her hair ran down her back in a short braid, which swung back and forth as she charged the oncoming stormtroopers. One by one they fell victim to her blade while her friends fought bravely beside her. In the span of a few short minutes, the army of troopers was decimated, and foot soldiers and ships alike sped towards the massive gray walkers, Rey leading the pack.

Suddenly, the scene shifted as if someone had switched the channel on a holoscreen with Rey inside. No longer was she watching a massive battle take place in a flat plain, but now stood in the doorway of a lounge. A different Rey, Finn, Poe, and Rose all sat around a metal table, a game of chess in progress between the pilot and the former stormtrooper. Rey and Rose sat by and talked and drank from tall glasses.

But as the scene progressed, Rey noticed something rather odd. Everything seemed to be partially drained of color, as if in the process of turning gray. The lights of the longue shone a dim white instead of yellow and the dull blue of the drinks looked like they should have been a deep sapphire.

"I'll put five credits on Finn," called Rose as she planted a proud kiss on her boyfriend's cheek.

"I'll take that action," replied Rey, smiling wide and sipping from her drink.

"Well, I'm glad someone has finally put their faith in my abilities," joked Poe and he moved a piece across the board. They all laughed merrily as Finn won the round and Poe threw his head in his hands dramatically.

Rey blinked, and this vision winked out of existence as fast as the one before it.

Now she stood in a crowded mechanic's shop. A dozen people of varying sizes and species filled up the small space, which was already chock full of dangling wires and tools and ship parts. She peered out of a nearby window. Dark buildings surrounding the shop scraped a clear blue sky, or what she thought would be a blue sky if it weren't for the decreased saturation. Everything was graying like last time, except the effect had grown even worse.

She dashed to the front of the disorganized line and made it to the counter in time to see the person behind it turn around to face the crowd. It was her again, expect her face was lined with signs of age, her hair in a long, graying ponytail. Even though Rey knew none of this was truly real, she couldn't help but stare in awe at this version of herself. Growing old on Jakku had never seemed like an option, and she never imagined it happening to her.

"Golen, where's the order for Mister Potes? We should have had that set up an hour ago!" this Rey yelled over her shoulder, her voice more raspy. She gave a small smile to the broad, bulbous creature first in line before eying the shelves behind her angrily.

"I've got it right here, don't worry." A tall, deeply tanned older man strolled out behind a metal shelf stacked with miscellaneous parts carrying a repaired cooling unit. Rey watched as her older self regarded the man fondly before turning back to her customer. Even more color began to erode away from the world.

"You really need to start working harder, or else I might have to fire you," Older Rey said through a playful smirk. She took a handful of credits from the customer's hands and passed him his cooling unit.

"That's not going to happen, you like having me around." Golen winked and sauntered back behind the shelves, sparing an extra peak at Older Rey before disappearing completely.

The last thing Rey saw before the scene shifted was Older Rey jokingly shaking her head in mock frustration and biting her lower lip.

Rey recognized this next place immediately. Jakku hadn't changed one bit since Rey had last walked along its sandy dunes. Her old abandoned walker lay down in the distance, still partially buried and desolate. Now everything was black and white, any shred of color gone.

The older version of Rey sat cross-legged in the sand with her long hair, now in a braid, blowing in the dry desert wind. Particles of pale sand trickled through her fingers and flew into the air. The sun was setting in front of them but the colors that usually accompanied it were lost in translation.

"I can't believe I wanted to come back here," she heard her older self mutter. She then stood up and gazed out into the horizon with eyes glazed over and tired. Her shoulders slumped as if the weight of the galaxy pressed down upon her.

The winds whispered sullenly in response.

Being back on Jakku, even in a vision, caused Rey to sweat and shake. Each day consisting of back-breaking labor in order to trade for scraps, each night passing slowly and painfully as loneliness ate at her heart. All of that was behind her now, but in this moment, it awoke fresh in her mind.

If it hadn't been for Finn and BB-8, she never would have escaped this barren wasteland. She never would have joined the Resistance in bringing down the First Order, and she never would have crossed lightsabers with Ben Solo.

She watched as her the older Rey clutched as her chest and continued to stare towards the setting sun. Tears welled up in her eyes and ran down her wrinkled face.

"It's almost as if I've never left," the woman sighed, threading her fingers behind her head. The gray sky turned darker and darker.

Then everything vanished. The Jakku desert blinked out of existence and freezing water flew into her face. Her hand met rough stone as she fumbled forward, stopping herself just in time before smacking her face into the slick wall behind the rushing waterfall.

Ben appeared next to her, slamming into the wall with one hand, the other still grasping Rey's fingers. They both stood still for a number of moments, panting heavily. She unclasped her hand from his, although reluctantly. Feeling his touch calmed her down.

"Did you see something, too?" Rey asked, wiping at her nose and shivering.

"Yes," he breathed. When she met his eyes, his were wide and scared. Pain and regret flowed from his like a dark wave. If what she had seen shook her, whatever the Force had shone him appeared to have done more damage.

"Are you alright?" she asked quietly.

"I know where the Millennium Falcon is," he said. "The Jedi Texts and your staff are there."

"Can we fly it?"

He gave her a sad look. "No. It's destroyed."

Rey's heart fell into her stomach. Han's ship, Chewie's ship, her ship…was truly gone.

"We can still search it, though. Come on, let's take the shuttle." She walked back through the waterfall and out the other side, dripping water onto the hexagonal stones.

Was what she saw her future, her true future? A world with friends and honest work awaited her, but the draining color warned her of something. What that was could be revealed in time.

She had forgotten how colorful the world around her really was. The surrounding evergreen trees blazed a deep green. Even the brown and tan of the forest floor shone with its own beauty. The sky above had turned cloudy, but patches of bright blue still showed.

Ben stepped out of the pond and wrung out his hair, water streaming down his pale skin. Again, Rey found herself staring for much too long.

Author's Note: Thank you all so much for your favorites and follows! Your support means a lot and I love seeing your feedback. The reviews never fail to put a smile on my face!