Chapter 11

An Exchange of Enemies and Friends

For a split second, she felt absolutely weightless as they fell from that broken window. The only pressure she could sense was Ben's hand tightly gripping hers. Then the pull of gravity took over and they began to hurtle down to the fatally solid concrete below.

Rey shrieked. Their robes flew up around them and the pit of her stomach dropped alarmingly. The air was icy against her it and it raised goose pimples.

Fighting the urge to remain still and passive in these new sensations, she held out her hand and concentrated with all of her might. She spared a glance over at Ben and found he was doing the same, his eyes squeezed shut and lips moving in a silent prayer.

Their velocity dropped suddenly. Her heart skipped a beat as she looked down at the ground coming slowly closer to them. It was as if they were falling slow motion. She almost cried out joyously, despite their situation.

"There!" Ben shouted, and he pointed to a soft flower bed coming up beneath them. They both held out their hands as if they'd done this a million times and willed themselves through the air towards their target.

Rey's boots met dirt and flowers and she hit the ground running, panting in both exhilaration and newfound anger. The momentum of the fall almost propelled them into a crowd of onlookers, who quickly stepped out of their way with frightened gasps and murmurs.

Now the weight of what had happened before they had jumped hit her full in the face.

"What the hell was any of that?!" she yelled. Ben had started to run, and she followed, shaking with rage and gnashing her teeth. Something inside her felt broken, corrupted. Her world was flipped upside down.

"I knew I had a bad feeling about them," panted Ben, more to himself than to her. His cape fluttered around his ankles and he yanked it off hurriedly, letting it drift to the ground behind them. As Rey looked over her shoulder, she saw a couple of children approach the dropped cloak and snatch it up for themselves. She would have smiled in amusement if bloodcurdling rage hadn't consumed her at the moment. Running it out did help a bit, though, and they continued on their way back to the shuttle.

"They were part of the Resistance! At least they were supposed to be," she muttered bitterly as they shot down a flight of stairs as quickly as their feet could carry them. "We're their allies, we weren't going to betray them or anything, I just didn't like their methods."

What had Jayne said earlier? Even Leia didn't trust them enough to have them stick with the rest of the main Resistance forces. Have Rey known that before, maybe a few red flags would have popped up when they had needed to. But should signs of betrayal be something she looked for when meeting new allies?

"Hold on," said Ben, interrupting her thoughts. He had stopped running and pulled the both of them behind the cover of a wall. Rey could hear a pair of stormtroopers talking just out of view. They waited tensely for a few moments before the clicks of their armor were out of earshot.

She continued as they passed more dingy storefronts and traffic filled streets: "We should be able to have each other's backs in the Resistance. We're all fighting for the same thing, that's why Leia set this whole thing up—"

"That's where you're wrong." Ben peaked cautiously around a corner before waving them on.

"Oh, really? Please tell me why I'm wrong." She grabbed his collar and pushed him against the wall. He gritted his teeth and stared her down even as Rey's fury reached a new peak and she fought hard not to slap him across his face.

"Did you honestly think that everyone in your precious Resistance was a perfect angel that could do no wrong? These are real people with real feelings, Rey. Everyone's fighting for themselves, and they'll do anything to snatch up what they can. If they want dead stormtroopers then that's what they'll work for."

"But—"

"I'm sorry, Rey, but it's how things are, and the later you realize that, the more times you'll find yourself in a world of hurt." His voice softened a degree, but his brown eyes still bore into hers, his gaze as harsh as the words he had just said.

It took a few moments, but she finally unknotted her fist from his collar and stepped away. A wave of shame splashed down over her, and she buried her head in her hands. The blood-slicked tiles of the atrium still flashed across her vision, as did the dozen or so gun barrels that had been aimed at her chest just minutes ago.

A tear slid down her cheek and she wiped it away dismissively. The chill of the shade they stood in dug into Rey's bare arms as she crossed them over her chest. Ben gave her an empathetic look but said nothing. It still confused her how he could shift from intimidating to comforting in the blink of an eye.

"I'm sorry about. We should get going before they find us,. Maybe we can talk to Leia when we see her again," Rey said briskly, and she began to run again.

They had just cut through the alley beside the bar when a chorus of "Hey!"s erupted to their right.

To Rey's dismay, an entire squad of stormtroopers were standing at alert only a number of yards away from their shuttle. She skidded to a halt and grabbed Ben's hand, dragging them in the direction they just came from. The clatter of boots rumbled close behind them and a couple of blastershots dug into the concrete walls just over their heads.

Ben thrust out his free hand and sent the closer stormtroopers flying into their comrades, creating a huge dog pile that would be difficult for anyone to climb out of. Still, they kept running, Rey's breaths coming out in ragged pants.

Another street packed with pedestrians and small public shuttles appeared in front of them. If they could just find a building to run into and take cover, they should be safe. Rey pulled Ben along behind her, her half bun whipping around as she searched for a suitable hiding spot.

Over the din of the crowds, a high-pitched humming reached her ears. Enemy speeders, the sound was unmistakable.

"We need a ride!" she shouted to her companion, who began to search around them as well. Soon both of their eyes rested on a poison-green speeder, parked nonchalantly on the side of the packed road. The seats were thankfully uncovered by the usual dome of glass and she jumped into the driver's seat, whispering her apologies to the owner while Ben got in beside her.

"Can you get us in the air?" he shouted as four sleek white speeders appeared behind them, piloted by stormtroopers. They hovered in the air like deadly wasps before flying towards them.

"I think I can!" With some effort she popped the control panel open and proceeded to hot wire the controls. While Jakku had been a miserable place to live, she was truly thankful for the mechanical skills she had picked up there over her years as a scavenger.

She whooped with glee as the thing roared to life. Its engine sounded ten times more powerful than her speeder back on Jakku, and she had prized that more than anything she owned.

"You really are amazing, you know that?" Ben said breathlessly.

With all of the emotions churning in her head it took Rey a good couple of seconds to process what he said. "Oh, thanks," she said sheepishly, her face growing hot.

With a glance back at their pursuers, she punched the gas and lifted the speeder into the air at such a steep angle that Ben had to grip the bottom of his seat to stay in. Her stomach dropped once again, but not unpleasantly like before.

"Don't try to kill us before the stormtroopers do!" he yelled to her, but the wind on her ears partially blocked him out. Her body was still burning with hatred for Jayne and her soldiers, but the thrill of flight came close to alleviating some of the pain. But this was no time to let loose. They needed to get out of here before more unwanted attention came their way.

"We've got company!" Ben called over, and sure enough a squad of speeders came up closely behind them. Once she leveled the speeder out he climbed a bit out of his seat and ignited his lightsaber. His jaw was set in concentration.

Shots rang out behind them and Rey steered clear of the green bolts of laser that whizzed by. She let out a surprised yell but got a hold of herself and banked right towards the grove of skyscrapers that grew up into the cloudy sky. More buildings meant more ships to fly through, and she gritted her teeth as she formulated a plan.

More and more shots blazed past, but Ben waved her on.

"Keep going, I'll take care of it." He steadied himself on his seat and managed to deflect a blast off of his lightsaber. His hair whipped around his face and Rey couldn't help but stare at him through the rearview mirror. He looked just as he had in that throne room, all power and cunning.

The bolt that he had bounced off of his lightsaber sank into the engine of one of the enemy speeders, causing an explosion that shook the very air around them. Rey almost had to close her eyes against the impossibly bright blast.

Now they were in the thick of the skyscrapers. Unlike the ship graveyard on Jakku, they didn't have to fly low to throw off their targeting systems. That gave them three dimensions to move around in. She threw the controls down as hard as she could and sent the speeder into a steep dive. Wind filled her lungs until she almost couldn't breathe. Ben clung to his seat for dear life, and she suspected that he was utilizing a bit of Force power to keep him from flying away. Still the stormtroopers flew after them, blaster bolts falling down on them like rain. The vehicles crawling below grew in size as they approached the ground.

"Keep their eyes on you!" Rey yelled over the howling wind as she pulled out of her dive. "I've got an idea, but you may not like it!"

"When have I liked anything?!" he shouted back as a laser zipped inches over his head, but he turned back to their pursuers and positioned his lightsaber once more. The ragged red blade sliced through the air as two more shots were deflected. Another speeder burst into flames and dropped out behind them, falling to the ground far below them. With this new casualty the stormtroopers intensified their fire on Ben, just as Rey had wanted.

A path of slow-moving ships showed up in Rey's lined of sight, and her loose hair flew into her eyes as she turned hard to meet the oncoming traffic. Ben crashed down beside her and turned his lightsaber off. His eyes widened as he realized what she was about to attempt.

"Hang on!" she yelled. There was a sizeable gap between two large shuttles that they could zip straight through. If she could keep the speeder on a straight course, that was. She aimed up and held her breath as if she were diving under water and waited for their speeder to do the rest. The nose of the speeder pointed to the cloudy sky.

One second, two seconds… The two massive hunks of metal were getting closer and closer…

They emerged on the other side, safe and sound. Rey put her hand over her mouth to contain the nervous laugh that threatened to break out. Behind them the enemy speeders tried to avoid a disastrous collision. Two managed to sputter to a stop and move around the line of ships. The other two weren't so lucky, crashing into the bottoms of the hulking shuttles. Their subsequent explosions barely laid a scratch on their hearty exteriors.

Only two more speeders to go. Rey drew in a huge breath and forced their ride to level out and bank towards three identical towers, all organically curved and affixed with decorative bronze rails and ridges. Ben looked towards Rey and nodded in understanding, clipping his lightsaber back to his belt. She would need to count on his other abilities to pull off this next trick.

Taking great care to drive in clean, wide arcs, Rey swooped around the three curved buildings. The speeders shrieked behind them like a pack of ravenous sand monsters. Though the sound of them sent shivers down her spine, she concentrated to close the distance between her and the buildings little by little. Their shots just kept missing, but for how much longer Rey didn't want to find out.

Finally, she managed to trick their attackers into flying at a close proximity to the smooth steel walls of the towers, only a few yards away. Now was their chance to be rid them.

"Can you push them from there?" she asked Ben to confirm her theory.

"Should be a short enough distance," he answered back. Once again turning in his seat, he held on against the outward pull of gravity on their speeder and held out his hand, fingers curled, face tense with determination. After a few painstaking seconds of holding their spiral around the tower, Ben swiped his hand through the air.

One of the speeders slammed into the metallic building, erupting into orange flames. The heat of the blast alighted on the back of Rey's head, the heat was so intense.

Their last pursuer rained down a series of green bolts. Before either Rey or Ben could react in time, a stray beam hit the back of their speeder with such force that it shook the entire flaming green frame. Rey managed to stay in her seat, but Ben's already precarious position caused him to tumble and begin to fall, slowly but surely, over the low door and out into the open air.

"Ben!" she screamed, holding out her hand. He grabbed ahold just in time but had both legs hanging over the side of the car while his other hand gripped the edge of the door for dear life. She pulled out of the spiral and tipped the speeder in the other direction. Ben used this change in gravity to get his footing and drop in heavily beside her, his eyes wide and mouth gaping.

"Thank you," he panted, looking nervously over the door as they flew on. The ground below them was speckled with ships and pedestrians and still very far away. She could see his Adam's apple working as he glanced down at what would have been his final resting place.

More shots rang out behind. Rey snarled and pressed the gas pedal down to the floor, ready for this whole thing to end.

"I wish we had some firepower on this thing," she lamented, slapping the steering wheel in frustration.

"Hold on, I may have an idea. Let them get closer to us, then drop down." He pulled out his lightsaber and waited for her say so.

She nodded curtly, trusting him to get the job done. She eased off the accelerator and the speeder behind them roared closer and closer. She could almost see the serial number printed on the side of the engine from her rearview mirror.

Ten feet, then five. Rey gulped and prayed that this wouldn't result in both parties falling to their untimely deaths. She braked hard and was almost thrown forward into the windshield.

Ben held his lightsaber above his head in both hands. The backward momentum of the speeder allowed him to slash through the bottom of their enemies' vehicle. A long jagged cut sparked before the whole thing blasted apart.

Luckily, they were a good distance from the explosion and only felt traces of heat on their faces. The shrapnel rained down as Rey and Ben watched breathlessly. She pulled into a complete stop to catch her breath, even though she hadn't been physically moving all that much.

"We made it," she sighed, leaning her head back and closing her eyes against the bright gray of the sky. The air up here was cold and brittle, but she didn't have the energy to move them down at the moment.

"We should go back and get the hell out of here before any more decide to chase after us," Ben said, wiping sweat off of his forehead.

"We can tell Leia about Jayne and the others, too." Anger rose in her throat like bile as she turned the speeder around back the way they came. In their desperate chase she almost forgot about Jayne's betrayal and their attempted murder. But now all of that came crashing back, and her knuckles began to turn white on the steering wheel. The sooner they let this all die behind them, the better.

…

Their speeder touched down a quarter mile from their precious shuttle as to not draw to much attention to that area. By that time the clouds had started to swirl and darken and a few tentative drops of rain pittered down. Rey frowned guiltily at the scorch marks chopping up the hideously green paint job and the rain slowly drenching the cab but decided to run off with Ben, knowing full well there was no way to stay behind to salvage or fix the thing.

They rounded the corner of Brixby's and Rey gasped in relief when she found the shuttle still parked as they had left it, now coated in a sheen of water as its passengers were. No one walked around outside now, but sought shelter in the bar and surrounding shops, judging back the indistinguishable chatter floating out from the lit windows. Now it was just a matter of lifting off and finding another place to hide. Hopefully the Resistance would make themselves known to them somehow without trying to kill them like this last go around.

"It looks like you've survived all that after all. I'm here to make sure that doesn't happen again."

The hairs on Rey's neck stood on end and she whipped her whole body around to face that familiar voice.

Jayne emerged from the shade of the alley, her clothes singed and torn and her gloved hands holding a massive blaster that could throw even a Wookie off of its feet. Her gray hair was matted and falling out of its once sleek ponytail. There was no warmth left in her eyes, only a cold hatred, the look many a stormtrooper saw before her knife did its business.

Only the patter of the rain on the cold concrete ground could be heard. They were alone, for better or for worse. Ben moved forward with his lightsaber in his hand, anger blazing from every inch of him. His free arm moved in front of Rey in an attempt to shield her.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. This baby's got more firepower than you'll be able to hold back with those fancy powers you got there," Jayne sneered. She shifted the gun in her arms and cocked her head. "I'd use my knife, but I'd rather survive this ordeal than have both of us dead. The boys wouldn't care for that at all."

"Why are you doing this? We were helping you take out the First Order, he's been helping you like I said he would," Rey spat, rage taking over and flowing through her. Her arm shook as she pointed towards her friend. Her skin felt so hot she was surprised the rain hadn't started to sizzle on impact.

"That's what he wants you to think. Open your eyes, kid! Once First Order, always First Order, that's why those stormtroopers got what they deserved. People never change."

She gestured to Ben with an air of cruelty. "And this monster's their leader, do you really think he's on your side? How many times has he pillaged, betrayed, and murdered for the sake of his master, for himself?"

Rey glanced up at the back of Ben's head as he stood protectively in front of her. At Jayne's words he turned back to look at her and they locked eyes.

Orange sparks drifting down. A hand outstretched, shaking and afraid. The softest "Please" she had ever heard in her life. But then he had betrayed her, tried to take Luke's lightsaber and then proceeded to launch a devastating attack against her friends and allies on Crait. The Resistance nearly fell that day thanks to him, but it was a lot more personal than that. He had broken her heart.

Those sparks then turned to soft snow. His arms were around her, his sobs shaking her entire body. The headstone that he had crafted with care and repentance. But it had been different even before the Force had told them to find the Falcon. He wasn't doing any of this for himself now. Now it was for his parents, and for…

At this moment she knew that this man would never betray her again. The absolute authority in his stance, the tremble of his bottom lip, the sheer amount of trust and resolve in his dark-eyed gaze. And she cared for him back. In this moment, there was no one else in the galaxy she trusted more than Ben Solo.

"You're wrong."

Jayne's eyes widened in surprise, her confidence wavering.

Rey stepped around Ben and pulled her staff over her head and into her hands.

"People can change, you're just too blind to see that. You underestimate him. And me."

All three of them stood drenched and dripping. Rain was splattering down in a deafening roar off of the metal gutters and roofs. Water slipped down Rey's staff and soaked into the leather straps. Her heart hammered, but she bit down on her tongue. The words were out now, and she felt proud of them.

Jayne snarled and lifted her blaster up, her finger about to squeeze the trigger. "I knew he'd gotten to you somehow."

Suddenly the gun fell to the ground with a large clatter. She seemed to be frozen in place, with her arms locked into the position they were in, her legs still in their stance. She shuddered where she stood, and her eyes moved around wildly, but otherwise didn't move.

Rey looked behind her to see Ben with his fingers splayed and face hardened with fury. Rain twisted itself down his scar. Jayne had fallen victim to the move he had pulled on her on Takodana. Seeing it now sent a shiver down her spine. She remembered feeling her muscles seize and breathing catch and was glad she wasn't Ben's target again.

"We should go. I'll let her go when we lift off," he said calmly, his eyes flickering towards their shuttle.

Rey hesitated a moment and stared into Jayne's statuesque face, emotions bubbling up.

"Rey?" he asked, but she still didn't respond.

Jayne and her team were part of the Resistance, but Rey had never thought that Leia's soldiers could exhibit such cruelty and violence. The hatred radiating from this woman harbored for her enemies seemed… insulting to her. How could people like this be allowed to taint the honor and hard work of her friends?

She wanted to scream, hit this woman across the face with her staff, throw her off the side of a building, but she stood her ground and let the rain slip over her skin, breathing the cool air in and out. It wouldn't be worth it. They were safe, and the best course of action was to leave and continue their journey.

"Leia and the others will know about this," she said simply and stalked back to the shuttle, Ben turning with her and giving her a confused look. She tried not to look back.

…

"You didn't kill her."

"I know."

"Why not? She and her group are a danger to us. They could sell us out to the First Order."

Their shuttle now orbited Urear, the chaos of the day's events all miles and miles below them. Rey was sitting on the padded bench, swaddled in blankets and feet bare. Ben lay across from her with his head held up on his fist as he paged through one of the novels they had purchased in Vaas Minas. The cabin was warm and dry, and Rey relished every breath. She was finally home.

She sighed and shook her head. "I don't think so. You saw what they did to the stormtroopers. I don't think they'll be willing to contact more, even anonymously."

Ben shrugged and threw his book onto a nearby shelf. He met her eyes and gave her a small, proud look, or what Rey thought was proud. The lights of the cabin shone in his eyes, turning them from a darker brown to a lighter shade of russet.

"What?" she asked.

"You should forget about what I said earlier, you did the right thing. No use stooping down to their level." He pushed his body up into a sitting position and adjusted his doublet.

"About…"

"Yes."

Rey dropped her gaze down to her feet. "I suppose you're right. But they were supposed to help us get to Leia and the others, and they tried to kill us instead. I wanted to do something. Something bad, you know?"

"But you didn't. And that's what makes you strong."

He gave her the smallest of smiles. A flutter rose up in her stomach, and she stood up suddenly to expel the feeling.

"Want some milk? I think we might have some cans left," she offered, her voice much too loud. Ben winced at her volume but nodded. She got up and crossed over to the cabinet and picked out two small cans with tabs to remove the lids. Ben stood up to grab one and they were both on their feet, sipping slowly and watching the Urear lights sail by below. There it was again, that feeling of him beside her, like a puzzle piece fitting in just the right spot.

"I just can't believe we almost died today because of the Resistance," Rey lamented as her eyes combed through the surrounding stars, almost wishing that Leia and her friends would fall out of hyperspace and help them deal with all of this.

Ben pressed his lips together and sighed through his nose. "It's so much simpler when one side is good and the other evil. We don't need all of these people in the gray."

Rey couldn't help but chuckle sadly at his words. She set her drink down on the counter next to them. "But without the gray I wouldn't have found you."

They looked at each other. The sight of his now familiar rumpled hair and long face (currently blushing) and broad arms and shoulders brought about a gladness so intense she pulled him into a tight hug.

At first, he hesitated with his arms hovering uncertainly above her, gingerly setting down his can as well. But with a quiet laugh he folded his arms around her and placed his hand on the back of her head. The gesture was enough to turn Rey's legs to jelly.

"What's this for?" he asked, a small laugh playing along his words.

"Thank you for everything," she breathed. "Without you I'd be dead in the Falcon, or shot by stormtroopers, or couldn't do all these amazing things, or—"

Her eyes burned with tears and she pulled him closer to her.

She felt Ben's breath hitch in his chest, but he hugged her tightly. He felt safe and solid like a sun-soaked stone. Like a home that she could go back to time and time again.

This man had betrayed his master for her, saved her life countless times and even offered her a place by his side. As she settled into the warmth of his arms, something clicked into place. Maybe it was the way he held her head in his hand, or maybe it was his mild musk that she breathed in, but she knew then that they could no longer be just friends. She wanted something more.

They stood still for quite some time, neither one of them not daring to break the embrace. Dim stars swirled around their shuttle and Rey relaxed against him, their drinks sitting forgotten on the counter.

Author's Note: Sorry I'm a bit late on the upload, I've had a nasty sinus infection the last week and it really messed with my concentration. But the chapter's out now, and I had a lot of fun writing it! As always, thank you for your follows and favs!