Author's Note: I do not own Star Wars, nor am I making any money off this. Here's a little nugget for you to read during quarantine. Enjoy, lovelies and stay healthy out there! xx

Field of Vision

Chapter Two

The fifth time it happened, so much time had passed since their last encounter, they had almost forgotten the sensation of their bond within the Force.

Rey had actually fought against giving in to the connection, trying to close the door that kept their unique bond open. She was scared of what might evolve out of their constant contact, bridging their two worlds together one apparition at a time. Despite wanting to keep the connection closed she often thought of him, sometimes wondering what Ben Solo was like before the dark charade of Kylo Ren became his life. She wondered if he could be gentle, what his hobbies were; trivial things on their own, but when composed together, could make someone special.

There was a part of her that would always hope—years of longing and hoping for the return of parents who had abandoned her—a condition she could not outgrow. She hoped now for Ben. But she couldn't allow herself to be hurt again in her desire for belonging. It doesn't matter how it happens, just so the right person won't abandon her again.

Sometimes she would allow her feelings to be known, let down her walls to the universe. Though a part of her hoped...

Hope. Was there any left for her now?

For the Resistance?

For Ben Solo's redemption?

She desperately wanted it to.

As she accepted these things in her heart one sleepless night, a wave of warmth washed over her body and her senses. She detected their bond within the Force bend and snap like a rubber belt, reigniting her desire for belonging as though on the other end of the line Ben knew exactly what she wanted and in return, wanted to give back to her. The sensation started small, like a whisper, but then gathered strength like a building ocean wave neither could ignore as it crashed down upon them.*

Across the galaxy, Ben was stirred suddenly from his sleep, gasping for air as though he had been running for miles. His dream left him wanting as his hands instantly sought out Rey's shape in his bed. All the lights were off and the one window near his bed showed the deep, starry universe glittering like diamonds across the endless black sea. In the shadows, Ben touched the warmed space beside him, confused when his hands found nothing because he could've sworn she was there.

xx

The sixth time it happened, it was traumatic for both of them.

Rey wasn't ready to see Kylo again. Not since their last encounter in which she discovered his plans to thoroughly and completely destroy the Resistance. She often cried herself to sleep at night, always hoping, yet never actually safe. Whenever the Resistance moved from one location to another, it always took a period of time for her to adjust to the new surroundings. This went on for months. In her waking moments, Rey was a survivor, an inspiration to others. Her carefully guarded exterior never gave way to the fear and insecurity held within. Often her dreams would be filled with ugly nightmares during these transitions. Abandonment and loss and all the dark fears that kept her on edge would bubble to the surface.

One such night, Ben found himself introduced to her bunk on the Rebel base of the week, startled and excited that he could finally see a little bit more of her surroundings within their connection. Ben took one look at Rey and knew she was unhappy, painfully aware that he was largely responsible for this.

Her chambers were small and cramped and far too warm for his liking, but he found a simple chair in the corner and prepared to wait. He watched Rey toss and turn in her bed, clearly experiencing a bad dream. The blanket slipped down her body as she writhed, revealing her bare chest down to her middle rib. Ben looked away immediately, noticing rather late that all her clothes were draped along a pipe running the length of the small room, damp and air drying.

Rey never said anything, but often whimpered and moaned sharply as though in pain, upsetting him the longer he sat there.

Ben felt awkward even being there; summoned by the Force for reasons still unknown to him. He wasn't in the best of conditions himself, having been plucked out of his own restless bed and brought here only to invade her privacy as she slept.

Rey continued to toss and turn, reaching a hand out for some unseen, unobtainable thing. Ben left the solidarity of the chair in the corner for her bed, uninterested in waking her. On a whim, he pulled the thin blanket up and over her shoulder, letting his hand linger on her skin a moment longer than necessary.

Ben was curious if he could read her thoughts and enter her dream, and extended his hand out over her. Perhaps he could help her if he knew what was troubling her. He closed his eyes, focusing on delving into her thoughts until he was confronted with a dark mass in his own mind's eye.

Slowly, a figure materialized-a young man, though the skin was gray and ghastly looking and the eyes were nothing but hollow shadows. Across from that figure, Rey appeared like a bright light before his vision, small and scared. She was on her back, badly injured and scrambling away from the shadowy threat. Suddenly the voice spoke; it was his own voice he detected, threatening to perform sickening deeds against her. Things Ben would never dare. Ben watched her tremble in fear as his shadowy doppelgänger knelt down and mounted her, fighting her and tearing her clothes before taking her by force. An unexpected sensation overcame Ben as he watched, sinfully tempting and twisting his thoughts towards darkness. She begged the monster to stop and fought it as much as her weakened body could, but it still had the advantage of brute strength over her. Suddenly, the malicious red light of Kylo Ren's saber illuminated their features, abruptly entering Rey's side. The cruel doppelgänger laughed as the vision of Rey died. The dream-and his dark desire-ended abruptly. His emotions while transfixed on watching Rey succumb to her injury, turned to shock and devastation. Ben didn't have a chance to climb back out of her mind; instead felt himself being pushed violently away, yet trapped in the shared trauma.

Out of the dream, Rey screamed a shrill and painful sound he had only heard once before. He had no choice but to wake her, otherwise someone might discover their secret. Quickly, he muffled her scream with the palm of his large hand, whispering her name urgently. Jolted awake, Rey scrambled away from him on the small cot of a bed, eyes wide open, yet unable to recognize him.

Embarrassed by the sudden exposure of her breasts again, Ben shut his eyes tight and tried to keep her from flailing at him in the small space. Here, he was not the same Dark Jedi that once claimed he could take anything he wanted. Here, he was just as vulnerable as her, desperately in need of peace.

"Rey, it's me—it's Ben," he said, his voice strained and apologetic as he tried to reach her again.

Her naked chest heaved as she struggled to regain breath, slapping his hand away. Ben saw her eyes brimmed with fat tears, ready to spill over. She was terrified of him; still unaware of the difference between dreams and reality. It cut him down to see her like this.

"Get away from me, monster!" she cried, reaching for her saber, but Ben lunged after, frantically grabbing her by the wrist and wrenched her back onto the bed. The last thing he needed was to be found cut in half by his grandfather's lightsaber on a hidden rebel base.

She cried out as she wrestled against him, reviled by his touch. Rey still felt like her body was being violated by the shadowy monster, and begged him through tears to stop.

Too late, Ben realized his mistake. He was acting every bit like the monster everyone seemed to think he was. Quickly, (but not quick enough to undo the damage) he released her wrists as though her skin was hot iron, scalding him.

Absolutely regretting how he fucked their situation up even worse, Ben retreated to the chair in the corner, finally giving her the space she needed. He wrestled with his emotions as he watched her withdraw inside herself, pulling the blanket around so that every inch of skin was covered. He never considered himself a sadist before, but the twisted desire he felt in her nightmare was something he never wanted to experience again.

"That wasn't me," he professed with a shaky voice, surprised by the tears welling in his own eyes.

Ben desperately wanted to comfort Rey because he needed it too. He felt tainted, realizing the Dark Side had thoroughly tempted him again, but now-he was different-he didn't want that anymore. He didn't realize the change had happened, but it had. That vile apparition wasn't him; never in a million years would he consider hurting her like that, not even as Kylo Ren. But as he watched Rey calm down and curl herself into a protective ball under the thin blanket, completely ignoring him, he decided to keep his damaging thoughts to himself.

Slowly, Rey rediscovered the differences between dreams and reality, but she still wasn't fully ready to face whatever this thing was yet. The dyad. Why did the Force summon him here now? She was touched that he had tried to help her; of course, she didn't realize it in the moment because of how traumatized the dream left her afterwards. But, somehow he had seen it; he had been able to dip into her subconscious and see the dreamscape play out for himself. She felt a teeny bit regretful at slapping his hand away, because he was trying to help.

Fully settled into reality again, Rey turned to sneak a glance at Ben in the corner. His eyes were closed and his arms were crossed over his broad chest as he leaned back against the wall. She watched his Adam's apple bob up and down as he swallowed, peaking her curiosity. Her eyes wandered unrestrained across his figure. He was dressed in his bed clothes, loose and thin garments that accented his bulk so well. She'd never really noticed how handsome he was. And dressed in his bed clothes, he almost appeared like a normal person. But, her wild curiosity got the better of her when her eyes lingered on the shape between his open legs. It startled her as she felt her thoughts drift, because she wanted to know what Ben Solo was really like in bed.

Suddenly their eyes snapped to each other's- he'd heard every one of her thoughts loud and clear through their connection, and was sorely tempted to set the record straight. But she wouldn't learn tonight. Their connection ended abruptly, his figure vanishing into darkness.