Awareness creeps in slowly for Rey. She's lying on her side somewhere soft but it's not a bed. It's a couch, her groggy mind deduces, as she blinks fully awake. She sees a large panoramic window filled with undulating blue eddies and swirls. It's instantly recognizable as the potent energy of hyperspace. The rest of the room is an opaque, shadowy mystery. There's only the window and the tall man standing silhouetted against it, facing away.
It's Ben.
He has shed the cape, and with it the public persona of Kylo Ren. His hands are clasped before him. It gives him slightly rounded shoulders. He is pensive, she senses. Anxious and jumpy. Worried, but trying not to show it.
"You're awake." Ben says the words before he turns around to face her. She sees that his expression is subdued. His looks tired.
"Force sleep?" she guesses as she props herself up on one elbow.
"I wanted you to rest."
"I hate it when you do that," she complains. It's a very aggressive way to get someone to take some downtime. "Where am I?" Rey sits fully up and looks around, squinting a bit from the blue glare that pours through the giant window.
"You're my guest. These are my quarters."
"Oh. This doesn't look like your quarters." She remembers a lot of white when she came to steal back Ochi's blade. It had been such a striking contrast to Ben's Dark warrior persona.
"Your friends blew my old ship up while we were on Zakuul. This is where I live now."
That's right. She forgot. "It looks like the old wrecks back home." She keeps going with this safe, meaningless small talk. Stalling before they start in on the real conversation she knows is coming. Ben looks very pensive, so whatever he's about to tell her isn't good.
"Not much has changed in star destroyer design since the last war."
"Yeah . . . yeah, I see that."
He walks to hover over her. "How do you feel?"
"Fine." Pretty good, actually.
"While you were out, a medic droid checked you over to confirm you're fully healed. The droid also put a bacta graft on your arm."
"What happened to my arm?" She looks down at her hands with alarm.
"It was a scar from an old wound."
"Oh, that." She reaches to finger the mark high on her right arm and touches the graft bandage instead.
"What's it from?"
"Snoke's throne room. A guard left me a souvenir."
"The scar should fade over the next few days."
"Okay. Thanks, I guess." She's never been concerned about the scar, but Ben clearly is. It makes her feel badly about the slash mark she made across his face during the Starkiller duel.
He's in her thoughts. "It's fine. I barely notice it now."
Rey doesn't want to talk about fighting, especially after their latest battle. Besides, she has more mundane, but pressing concerns. "Where's the . . . uh—"
"That way." He gestures towards the bathroom.
"Thanks." She stands and heads that direction. As she walks, Ben gestures with his right hand. It turns on recessed lighting for his rooms. A second wave of that same hand activates the window blinds with the Force. Suddenly, it's a lot less dim and a lot less blue.
"Feel free to clean up in there. Use the shower. You're a mess," he calls after her.
"Yeah, I'm all sand and blood."
"Wash up. You'll feel better. We'll talk afterwards."
She's in no hurry to talk about serious things or to confront her actions in the hangar bay, so she takes a long shower. Ben must have retrieved her things from the Falcon because he left the fancy pink dress his grandmother bought her hanging conspicuously to be put on. Rey ignores that option and goes searching through his things in the adjacent closet. She emerges with damp hair, wearing one of his black undershirts and boxer shorts. Both are long and loose, but at least she's sufficiently covered and no longer wearing bloody, ripped clothes. And she does feel better.
Ben has resumed standing by the window when she walks out. He's on his comlink giving orders. "If they ask for a delay, tell them no. The deadline holds."
"Yes, Sir."
"I want to know immediately when they respond."
"Of course, Sir."
"Send me the updated target list and revised mission plans, and I'll make a decision."
"Right away, Sir."
Ben hangs up and turns around. He looks her over but says nothing.
She senses in the bond that he's disappointed she didn't put on the dress—he takes it as a rejection. But he's also encouraged by her willingness to wear his clothes. She realizes belatedly that it's a rather intimate thing to don someone's undergarments and emerge barefoot into their living room.
"I scavenged a bit . . . " she explains, feeling her cheeks redden.
Ben just nods.
It's suddenly awkward and stilted as they stand meters apart. Uh oh. Here comes the serious conversation. Rey girds herself for their next argument.
He knows it, too. "I don't want to fight any more."
Has the fight gone out of him? Because the fight has gone out of her. Rey exhales her relief. "Good. I don't either."
"I mean it." His tone is firm. "I know Jakku has you primed for violence because conflicts there were resolved with fight or flight. But I won't do that with you any longer. You got me on Endor and I got you today. We're even. Let's call it a draw."
"Alright. Er . . . sorry about earlier . . . when I arrived . . . "
"It is done and you are forgiven. The point is not to do it again." He must not be convinced that she's truly contrite because he becomes emphatic. "Rey, we have to stop fighting. It settles nothing."
She dutifully concedes, "Fighting doesn't solve anything."
Pragmatic as always, he corrects her. "Fighting only solves things if there's a winner. When we fight, we both lose. No one wins."
"Okay." No more fighting, she's got it.
"I'm hoping not to fight with the Republic before long either."
Is that Ben's segue into a retreat? She blinks in pleasant surprise. "You're surrendering?" It comes out sounding hopeful.
He frowns. "No. I want to end the war with a ceasefire."
A ceasefire. Rey puzzles as she digests the idea. "That means we both lay down arms?"
He nods, "No one wins, no one loses. We just end it as things stand and move forward."
"Like us." She's beginning to understand that Ben's 'no more fighting' pitch is not just for them personally. It's his solution for the galaxy at large.
"Yes," he replies gravely, "like us."
Oh. She starts teasing out details. "I guess you keep the Rim?"
"And you keep the Core."
"What about democracy?"
"You can do what you want on your turf. We will rule our side how we see fit."
"I see." They'd be consigning much of the galaxy to fascist rule. General Organa would never go for that. She'd consider any portion of the Republic lost to the First Order to be a defeat.
Ben's in her thoughts again. He informs her, "Leia Organa is dead. Likely because the Force knew she would be an impediment to a deal like this. There was a lot more principle in my mother than there was compromise."
Rey bristles at the criticism of her much-admired mentor while Ben steps forward and starts laying on the hard sell. "I want to make peace, and I want you to help me. You have the standing within the Republic to persuade your friends."
Does she? She left the Republic because she was having doubts . . . and both Finn and Poe know it. Sheepishly, Rey confesses, "I don't know if I have much influence these days."
"You do after today."
She doesn't really understand that comment. But the whole topic is confounding. She's wary of being recruited to be Ben's spy once again. So, she punts. "I don't know. Let me think about it—"
"No," Ben digs in. "This is a ripe issue. I've already made the offer. Any minute now, I could get a response."
"What offer?"
"Here. Watch." He nabs a datapad off a table and approaches to hand it over. It's open to a recording that she taps to play.
Rey watches the entire message before she reacts. "You used me! You made me a prop!"
"I did it for peace."
"That doesn't make it right!"
Ben doesn't care. He is righteous about it, too. "I will do what it takes to end this war."
Maybe so, but he's assuming too much about her stroke with her friends. "You've got this all wrong!" she huffs. "The Republic didn't send me. No one even knew I was coming today-I did this on my own!"
"It was what they wanted."
"Yes, but—"
"Who sent you doesn't matter. The point is that now they will think you're with them, valiant as ever. You just proved it. Thanks to me, you'll be back in their good graces and they will listen to you."
Rey is dubious. "Will they?"
"They will. I know how those Republic types think."
She scowls down at the datapad which currently shows a freeze frame of her laid out as the backdrop to his ultimatum. She shakes her head and mutters in disgust, "Only you could be so bold . . ."
He takes that as a compliment. "They never need to know what really happened here . . . they never need to know what we are to each other. I set us up perfectly."
Us. He's enlisting her for more deception. She was hoping to end all that. And what are they to each other exactly? She doesn't honestly know. "You want me to be your spy again?"
"I want an ally. You would be an advocate for peace. A voice for compromise."
"With you listening in through my mind?"
"This time, I'm hoping you're on my side. Will you do it?" he presses.
Rey doesn't answer. She's floored by the brashness of his ultimatum and still processing its implications. "A standard day . . . that's not much time."
"I wanted to create a sense of urgency."
"You did that. What time is it now on Coruscant?"
"That message was posted almost eight hours ago."
"Posted? Who has seen this message?
"Everyone."
"Everyone at the Republic leadership?"
"Everyone in the galaxy. I put it on the holonet."
"You put it on the holonet?" she chokes, then realizes aloud, "You put it on the holonet to maximize the pressure . . . to create fear . . ."
"Of course."
This is a classic strong-arm tactic of a Sith. It's not going to go over well. "I doubt Finn and Poe will stand for this. And the Chancellor wants your head on a stick. No one trusts you."
He doesn't dispute the point. "It will take you to persuade them to compromise."
"And your people? They will accept this?" His supporters scream chants of 'Lock her up!' for the new Chancellor. Some go much farther with their vicious personal threats. It makes Rey doubt that the First Order rank and file will be content with claiming only half the galaxy. There is a lot of scary energy behind their 'make the galaxy great again' manifesto to turn back the clock to the Empire days by dismantling the New Republic.
Ben is unconcerned. "I can sell this. Besides, my people mostly do what they're told."
Even if that's true, will Ben himself accept peace? Rey poses the question. "Will you abide by the terms of a deal? Or is this just a ruse?"
"I will respect whatever is mutually agreed. I want real peace." Ben's sincerity resonates in the Force. It mollifies her somewhat.
Rey watches the recording a second time, trying to ignore her personal role in the stunt to focus on the larger issues at stake.
Ben must see that he's making headway. He moves to loom over her shoulder like some bad angel whispering in her ear to urge her to misdeeds. "This is a win-win, Rey. Peace will end the war, secure the future of the Republic, and end your problems. Your friends won't be nagging you to kill me. We won't be enemies any longer."
She tosses the datapad on the couch and turns to confront him. "Don't kid yourself—if we get a peace deal, you're still not going to be popular with them."
"I can live with that," he deadpans.
"And what about the Jedi?" That's the biggest reason she returned to the Republic.
"No Jedi."
"I'm the Jedi liaison to the Chancellor. That's the position that gives me the standing to argue to her and to the others in leadership. You know that, right?"
"No Jedi."
"Is it just the name that bothers you?" Rey wonders. "Can we be the Knights of the Republic or something like that?"
"Let the past die, Rey. No Jedi."
No deal. "That won't work. That's a dealbreaker."
Ben seems to be expecting that posture. He immediately counters, "Then you can be the last Jedi. Call yourself what you will, but you may not train anyone. Especially not Finn. You train him, and I'll kill him."
"You're more Jedi than I am—you've been trained," Rey grumbles and pouts a little.
"We'll get to that, I promise." Ben knows how undertrained and overpowered she is. He knows how angry she is about Plagueis destroying Luke's books. "Maybe when we get a peace deal and things calm down, we can train in person. But until then, we can train over the bond."
The bond . . . She hates the bond, and he knows it. But he starts trying to convince her it can be a good thing. "I don't want the bond to be just meetings and war. I want it to be you and me. Rey, we could make the bond into so much more."
He looks so earnest, so hopeful again. It sways her . . . a little. But she's worried they are talking past one another again. "You and me. What does that mean?"
"Even if we can't be together, we can still share our lives."
"Share our lives—how? How?" she sputters in frustration, "I don't know what that means! I don't know what we are! There isn't a word for what we are . . . "
"The First Order thinks you're my wife."
Rey rolls her eyes. "We're back to that again?"
"It was the best way to explain you and to protect you." Ben looks a little sheepish as he adds, "I didn't think you would mind since on Jakku you said you wished we had run away together."
Rey shifts her weight as she makes a face. "I did say that, didn't I . . ." Plus, she just kissed him in his flagship hangar bay this morning.
"My commanders think you really are Palpatine's granddaughter. They think he made Snoke marry us. You didn't like it, so you rebelled and sided with his enemies."
"I guess that's believable."
"I had to give them a reason to respect you. If you're a Palpatine, you're First Order royalty."
She sees the logic. "So Darth Vader's grandson married Darth Sidious' granddaughter . . . I suppose that's as good a story as any for your crowd."
"It's also true. This bond is like a marriage," he contends.
Yes, she knows that's how he likes to think of it. "Til death do us part?"
He nods. "And since the Force won't let you kill me—"
"I'm stuck with you?"
"Yes." Ben flashes that closed mouth, lopsided smirk that reminds her of Han Solo. "We're Mr. and Mrs. Supreme Leader."
"Great," she sighs. "Just great." But enough about them. Talking about them makes her nervous. And Ben standing so close has the bond buzzing with unspoken attraction. He's very compelling when he talks of peace for them and for the galaxy.
Rey changes the topic back to his offer. "So what are you offering the Republic?"
"I will refrain from invasion."
"You'll have to do better than that."
"Like what?"
He's making her do the counteroffer. Well, okay. Rey thinks a moment and comes up with the obvious issue. "How about you say you're sorry for Hosnia?"
"I'm not sorry. And that was on Snoke's watch."
She points out, "You're the Supreme Leader now, so you're the one to apologize. Maybe you could commit to a ban on super weapons while you're at it," she muses.
"Why would I do that?"
He's serious. Looking at his expression, Rey thinks Ben is as unrepentant and unredeemed as ever. Kylo Ren doesn't think he has done anything wrong. So while a lot has happened, nothing has changed since that moment in Snoke's throne room when he first asked her to join him.
And what's more—the Force seems to agree with Ben. Luke Skywalker gave her the lesson that you can be Light and be good, and still be wrong. But Rey is trying to wrap her head around the idea that you can be Dark and be bad, and also be right. Ben has long been a proponent of the idea that both sides of the Force have their purposes. She's heard his theories repeatedly. They're persuasive, but she has always held back from complete agreement. But today, between his healing and his ultimatum, he's starting to convince her. She never would have expected the first true peace offer to come from a Sith Apprentice.
Still, the super weapon thing is a no-brainer. "No one wants another Hosnia."
He shrugs. "I'll think about it."
"The Republic is going to want some acknowledgment of wrongdoing," she continues thinking out loud. "The First Order started this war. The Republic is going to have to be convinced that you're trustworthy . . . that you're not going to restart the war sometime in the future because you're at least a little reformed."
"I'm not reformed. What I am is winning."
"So, 'sorry, not sorry, Kylo Ren?'" she complains. "That's not going to convince the Republic."
"You're thinking about this all wrong. A ceasefire isn't about saying 'I'm sorry.' There is no sorry for Hosnia like there was no sorry for Alderaan. There can never be an acceptable atonement for that sort of war crime. No punishment will ever bring those worlds back. You just accept it and move on."
"But—"
"Peace is about power, Rey." Ben speaks of his proposal from the objective perspective of the Sith Apprentice. "This offer is about drawing lines to establish and acknowledge power. The Republic needs to get a deal now while they can."
"Why is that?" she challenges.
"There are three scenarios," he argues back. "We agree to a deal, I invade the Core and we agree to a deal, or I invade the Core and I win outright."
She scoffs. "You can't invade the Core."
"Watch me. It won't be pretty," he answers sharply. But he's back to wheedling fast. "You could be the hero Jedi peacemaker . . . brokering the end to a war that has claimed trillions of lives."
That role has appeal. But she's not letting Ben or his followers off the hook. "You need to apologize for Hosnia. Most of those lives were on Hosnia."
He shrugs, indifferent as always to the cost of his plots on his enemy's side. "I'll apologize for Hosnia before I'll agree to a ban on superweapons."
"Oh, no," she stops him. "I think those two points are linked."
Looking handsomely devilish, he now uses her arguments against her, neatly turning the tables. "See? You can do this!" Ben urges. "Who better to haggle out a peace deal than the girl who bartered scrap for a living?"
"That's different."
"Not really. You can do this. Do it for me—do it for the galaxy-do it for the future."
He's standing close again, cheerleading for her even as he cheerleads for his cause. And looking weirdly noble while doing it. For as always, the altruism in Ben Solo suckers her in.
Drat! He's in her thoughts. Ben smirks. "You owe me—you did just try to kill me."
"Quit complaining," she huffs, "you're still alive. I'm the one who almost died."
That rejoinder only advances his point. "I saved you . . . again."
"Stop making me feel guilty," she grumbles, looking everywhere but those deep brown eyes of his. They're entirely too seductive in the half light. "It won't work. These strong-arm tactics—they're your default approach."
"Except with you."
"Yes, with me!" she fumes. "You put me in an impossible position with the bond!"
"That was the Force."
"That was you!"
"I didn't want you to get too comfortable at the Republic."
"Well, you didn't exactly endear yourself to me."
"Give me some credit," he whines. "I've given you a long leash."
"Leash? Leash?" she screeches, taking offense.
He nods. "Your average Sith would never tolerate a disobedient Jedi wife like you." She sees the ghost of a smile tugging at his lips as he leans in to threaten, "It would be Force lightning until you relented."
"Don't you dare try!"
"Oh, I won't. I'm merely pointing out what a woke Dark Sider I am. Look how enlightened and lenient I am," he preens. "How reasonable and accommodating."
She crosses her arms. "Is this supposed to convince me? Because it's not working."
"I'm not nearly as bad as I might be."
"That's your best argument?" Her eyes narrow. "No, wait—was that a threat?"
"Just a reminder. Are you getting this, Rey? I'm the bad guy who wants peace. The Dark foe who wants balance. And you—"
"I'm the Jedi who lies and tries to assassinate people. I'm not nearly as good as I should be," she laments. Because, yes. She gets it. Neither of them is true to the archetype they supposedly represent.
"That's a good thing," Ben commiserates. "The old religions demanded strict adherence and punished imperfection. But I think our failures and doubts are what give us common ground for balance. I'm hoping a ceasefire will help us get there. Rey, more war won't help matters."
She tends to agree. In fact, the more she thinks about it, the more she likes the idea of a peace deal. Ever since Exogol, she has struggled to find her way as a Jedi. With the downfall of the old Jedi Order in mind, she has sought to use the Force for knowledge and defense, rather than attack. She tries to operate above petty politics. To remain separate and apart from matters of statecraft and warfare.
It caused her to resist Finn and Poe's wishes that she join the regular military. She balked at their requests to participate in everyday missions and even resisted their assassination plans. It all led her to Jakku where she somehow turned Dark with the best of intentions. How did that happen? Mostly because she has no idea what she's doing. She knows what a Jedi shouldn't be. It's deciding what a Jedi should be that's the problem. But what is a Jedi, if they do not work for peace? Isn't agreeing to advocate for peace a good thing, even if it allies her with a quasi-Sith?
But she worries, "What if the Republic rejects you?" What if this peace idea goes nowhere?
Ben answers like she expects. "Then I must follow through on my threat."
"Can you?" she wants to know.
He nods. "As we speak, I have ships with strike teams jumping to the edge of the Rim. That will shorten the flight plan to the Core."
She gulps. "So you're preparing to invade?"
"The threat is real."
"Can we get more time to decide?"
"No." He steps close again now. "Will you help me? Will you work for peace? Rey, you must choose."
She first chose in Snoke's throne room and fled to the Resistance when her redemption strategy played out far differently than she hoped. Then, she chose on Zakuul and headed to the Republic to try to re-form the Jedi Order on a path to balance. Both of those choices did nothing to advance peace or balance. And still, Ben Solo persists as the Force's favorite. Dare she chose his path this third time?
You must do what you feel is right. It was a lesson from Luke's books, along with the instruction to heed the Force and to search your feelings. Rey does all of those things now.
At twenty-one, she is still very much an inexperienced, uneducated girl self-raised largely on simple fairytales of good and evil and time-honored myths of right and wrong. She went from waiting for a hero to save her, to saving herself and becoming the hero. And that's when she floundered. Because suddenly she discovered that heroes, namely Luke Skywalker and lately Poe Dameron, aren't heroes all the time. She also discovered that some villains like Kylo Ren can be heroes too. It sent her into a crisis of faith and conscience that ultimately turned her Dark when trying to prove her virtue. And then, it was that same villain Kylo Ren who coaxed her back to the Light. He saved her a second time.
Things have come full circle. She set out to redeem Ben but he ended up redeeming her. Well, sort of. More like, he helped her to center herself. Is that balance? She isn't sure. But there's no denying that moment in the hanger bay was a breakthrough moment.
She finally is ready to accept that Ben is right. He's right about the Force. He might even be right about certain aspects of the Republic. He's definitely right about many issues with the war. But here's the thing—Ben can be right and she can be right as well. That's the point of balance: the Dark and the Light both have wisdom and insight to contribute to the future. It clinches her decision.
She takes a deep breath and commits. "I'll do it."
Ben looks as shocked as he is pleased.
"I'll do it. If the Republic agrees to negotiate a ceasefire, I'll help work for peace. I want this war to end."
His relief resonates in the Force. "You won't regret this," he promises. "This is destiny."
She hopes he's right. For in this, she is trying to do the work of the Force. Her friends might not agree, but Rey thinks a compromise for peace is the right course. "So what happens now?"
"We wait and see how the Republic responds."
"Okay . . . "
"If they accept, I will need you to go back."
"I understand." That's the plan—she will return to work for peace from her side as he pushes for peace from his end.
Ben's voice softens now as he slants her a measuring look. "That means this could be it for us . . . at least for a while . . . "
He's right. She feels the urgency keenly. The bond is buzzing in her mind, upping the ante for their attraction. It's just like what she remembers from Zakuul and it's how they ended up in bed together. In private when they are close—and not yelling at one another—the chemistry between them is strong. Ben's pull feels magnetic.
He nervously meets her eyes. Is he thinking what she's thinking? Because right now, it feels like they are wasting precious time.
But the easy command of Kylo Ren has vanished. Ben is tentative now. The man is adamant about the Force, bold about his plans for the war, and convinced of his politics. But when it comes to himself? Well, Ben can be timid about saying what he wants. Rey understands. Confidence is highly situational, she knows firsthand. And it can take supreme confidence to be vulnerable enough to admit to what you need.
Again, he looks to her. "You said you wished we had run away together."
"Yes," she yelps, suddenly nervous as well. Does he not want her any longer? Has she pushed him away too many times? Perhaps. She can be a little harsh.
"You said that we could have been happy together."
"Yes." Is he going to make a move?
No, he's not. Ben keeps talking. "We may only have tonight."
"Yes." Yes to that statement and yes to everything.
Despite all that agreement, they continue to stare at one another. It goes on so long it gets awkward.
Through the bond, she can sense Ben's fear of rejection. He's worried she will turn him down because yet again he's reading her mind and the situation wrongly. That's happened before and it has him gun-shy. Worse still, they might repeat their night on Zakuul and once again part angry and upset because their personal issues overshadow their shared objectives. Ever the strategist, Ben is busy running scenarios through his mind for all the ways she will hurt him again.
It's illuminating. He needs encouragement. So, she echoes his words. "We may only have tonight."
It doesn't help. The man who just told the whole galaxy he will invade the Core if the Republic doesn't capitulate to his demands is . . . well, hesitant. Battle doesn't scare him, failure can't dissuade him, but rejection terrifies him.
She's about to grab him and kiss him when finally Ben speaks. "Let's be happy now. Let's be together now."
He holds out his hand in invitation. It's a gesture she's seen several times before. But these are terms she can accept. She can't join his cause or join his Darkness. But she can join his push for peace. And she can join him—Ben Solo the person. After today's duel that she started and he ended by saving her life, she'll never think of him as Kylo Ren again. She's always known Ben had a strong streak of Light in him. Experiencing it in action today was everything. The enigmatic Ben Solo simultaneously glorifies the tradition of Darkness while he pushes it to the breaking point. He transcends all the old traditions and, if her brief stint on the Dark Side is any indication, he goads her to do the same.
And so, here they go again. "Join me?" Rey whispers, staring at his outstretched hand.
"Yes. Join me."
Rey's face splits in a grin. "I thought you'd never ask." Then she throws herself in his arms.
It kicks off a never-ending kiss. A hungry, urgent, escalating kiss that is the spark that ignites a fire of passion. When their lips part, they are both panting for air, chests heaving. For this is not the quick, grateful smash of lips they exchanged in the hangar bay. This is the prelude to more.
Rey is not waiting around for Ben to make a move this time. She's upfront with her habitual directness. "Where's the bedroom?"
Ben doesn't answer with words. He grabs her hand and starts tugging her forward. All his uncertainty has vanished. In the bedroom he strips down fast, revealing all that white pale muscle she remembers. It's so gorgeously male next to her softer, slighter female. Growing up on Jakku without even a mirror, Rey has no vanity to speak of. Moreover, her feral orphan childhood never socialized her into life's prevalent female insecurities. That means her inhibitions about sex have far more to do with fear of emotional closeness than they do concerns about her body. And while she has no romantic experience other than Ben, he is also a novice at lovemaking. It puts them on equal footing, and that's perfect.
As they collapse onto his bed, the feel of his heavy body covering hers is delicious. She can't get enough of this man. Her hands are in his hair, stroking down his back, then squeezing as they travel lower. Her lips are on his mouth before she trails kisses down to suck at his throat and then to nip at his shoulder.
Ben reciprocates with equal enthusiasm. His fingers glide over her lean curves, pinch at her nipples, and then explore below. He's as excited as she is, and his body is ready. He throbs hot and hard against her hip.
"Let's go," she breathes into his kiss. Rey is done with the lead up. She reaches down to clasp him and guide him in. Ben groans at her touch. It makes her smile.
Whereas before sex was an intimidating mystery to be solved, now it is a pleasure to share. A way to seal their fragile, new accord and to deepen their connection from a mental to a physical level. This mating feels wild, untamed, and almost primal as the Force swirls around them. It's a heady feeling to believe this moment is destiny, to know that it is blessed by their creator no matter what others might think. That it is forbidden makes it all the sharper and sweeter. For their rough and tumble passion transgresses old codes and defies current political differences. But that context is very true to who they are, individually and as a couple. She and Ben break the rules and always have.
And oh, how good this feels. Rey revels in the physicality of sex. In the sweaty, slick, thrust and friction. In the wet, panting kisses and licks. She feels swept away by the enormity of their mutual desire.
Is that her panting 'yes!'? She can't tell. With the bond open and all this physical connection, she has lost the limits for where she ends and where Ben begins. Two become one as both their bodies and minds join. His pleasure is her pleasure, and vice versa. It is rapturously strange, but also comforting. All Rey can think as his body plunges into hers is that in this moment, for perhaps the first moment, she is not alone.
She remembers sex being satisfying last time. But it was nothing like this. Their dyad bond makes sex a complete union. Had their minds been bridged when they did this on Zakuul, they would never have talked past one another. It would have been impossible. For there is no way for her or for Ben to hide their concerns and fears from one another in this state. That realization goes a long way towards convincing her that Ben is right—their bond is indeed the will of the Force. It's the universe's way of making sure they can't misunderstand or avoid one another. It simultaneously keeps each of them from quitting the relationship and from winning the war. The bond makes them deal with each other, whether they want to or not, even when they are in conflict. It makes clear that the only path to success and happiness the Force will permit is a path they determine together.
That's a tall order. Because she trusts this man . . . to a point. She admires this man . . . for some things. She agrees with him . . . at least on the big picture. She even likes him . . . well, sort of loves him . . . now and then. But still . . . they have so much conflict. It goes beyond the differences between just them, for they are surrounded by a galaxy in conflict and lurking out there somewhere is Darth Sidious. Worse still, there are the inner demons—the conflict that doesn't come from others, it comes from within. This is the paradox born into each of them . . . the impulse to veer to extremes, even unwittingly, like she did on Jakku. They need one another, Rey understands now, if only to look after one another for lapses like that. It's almost as if one purpose of the dyad is to take care of each other because the Force knows one person can't go it alone for long.
As they loll in each other's arms in the hazy, sated afterglow, Rey feels content. Maybe no one back at the Republic will understand her decision if they ever learn of it, but she's comfortable with it. And while there are a lot of good reasons for their secret deal, there are personal motivations as well. Ben saved her twice. He said it on the Supremacy bluntly: she was nothing, she was no one . . . but not to him. She could have been just another enemy to vanquish, but Ben insisted in making her a friend, then a student, next a lover, and now an ally.
He's sifting her thoughts. "I knew you were special," he confides as he nuzzles her neck. "I knew you were worth it. Long have I waited for this."
In an argument setting, she usually chafes at his aggressive mental intrusiveness. But in bed in each other's arms, it feels perfectly natural. The unique intimacy of the bond might actually be beneficial in this particular instance. She's not good with feelings, and she's especially bad when it comes to talking about her feelings. So Rey dispenses with any attempt at mental shields so Ben can know they are in accord.
But there is one thought she feels unshy about voicing. "I wish we had more time."
"We're not done yet," he answers firmly. "I want more, scavenger," he teases huskily before he leans in for a kiss. They are commencing round two when Ben's comlink rings.
They both flinch.
He meets her eyes and she immediately volunteers, "Answer it." Their bedroom antics can wait. The fate of the galaxy cannot.
Ben holds out a hand and his comlink flies into it from somewhere on the floor where his discarded clothes are piled. He answers, "Ren."
Rey hears the conversation. "Sir, the Republic has just uploaded a public response. They have also sent a separate private message to us. We have not viewed the messages yet."
"I'll be right there," Ben answers before he hangs up.
Rey jumps out of bed, announcing, "I'm going with you."
He thinks a moment and nods. "Get dressed."
She swipes the borrowed clothes she was wearing off the floor but then thinks better of it.
Ben notices her hesitation. "You can't wear that. Wear the pink dress."
Yeah, she probably ought to. Showing up to Ben's meeting dressed in his underwear or as the enemy Jedi is probably bad optics. So Rey runs to retrieve the fancy day gown and shoes. Her hair is still damp, so she twists it up into her Jakku trio of knots. It's a neat hairstyle she can accomplish quickly without a mirror.
Ben glances over as he yanks on his tunic. He snorts. "One part scavenger, one part princess."
She shrugs and presents her back to him. "Give me a zip, will you?"
He obliges. "Here." Ben sets the marching dark pink cape on her shoulders. He lifts the hood to settle it low over her head. "This is actually a great disguise. No one we pass in the hallway will recognize you."
"Oh, I think everyone onboard knows who I am by now." That hangar bay fight is probably the talk of the ship, along with the Supreme Leader's brash offer to the Republic.
Ben grins as he dons his own cape. "I think you're right."
She peeps up at him from beneath the voluminous hood and grumbles, "I feel like a pink Sith. A very pink Sith."
"Your Sith days are over. Today, you're Rey Palpatine, our undercover Jedi and my First Lady. Here." He hands her back her sword and then he hooks his own at his waist. "Ready?"
"Ready."
As they dash to the door, Rey voices aloud her fear. "What if they say no?"
"I get to keep you."
"Oh, come on!"
He's serious. "Let the Republic think you're my prisoner, but you can be my secret wife. We'll train together and be together while the galaxy sorts itself out." Ever the strategic Sith, he muses, "Who knows? Maybe the Republic will ransom you in exchange for a few systems."
"I'll escape before I let you do that," she threatens.
"Then I need to make you want to stay," he answers. "Come on."
"I hope they say yes," she frets as they stride forth hand in hand.
"I'm not sure I care," he replies with a decidedly Dark smirk. "Because either way, I win."