"Come on!" Finn urged them.

The corridor around them rumbled as they hurried back to the hangar. People were running in all directions. Officers were trying to get to transports while troopers were jogging to secure containment breaches as the battle station began to crumble all around them.

The floor gave a lurch beneath their feet as they ran into the docking bay. Miraculously, their ship was still there.

"Wait! Stop them!" screamed a voice behind them.

They didn't slow. Blaster fire whizzed by Rey's ear. She instinctively ducked into Ben as she ran.

Finn turned and fired over his shoulder as Rose slipped underneath the ship and opened the ramp. Rey and Poe dragged Ben on board, followed closely by Rose and then Finn, still returning fire before scrambling up the ramp and slamming his palm into the controls. He took Poe's place under Ben's arm as the pilot darted toward the cockpit. Rose quickly followed Poe.

As the engines flared to life, Rey and Finn hefted Ben's limp form onto the closest bunk. Rey caught his head and lowered it to the pillow.

"Go man the guns," she said, glancing up at her oldest friend.

Finn nodded and disappeared down the narrow passage. The transport began to lift off and turn for the exit.

"Hold on, Ben," Rey whispered under her breath as she strapped him in for the flight. "We're going home. I'll be able to—"

The ship suddenly pitched to one side, a dull boom echoing off the fuselage wall. Rey shrieked and ducked down by the side of the bed, gripping the frame tightly. Ben's head snapped limply to the side. The report of returning fire rang dully through the cabin.

The flightpath evened out as the ship righted itself and headed for the portal, thrusters full ahead. Rey clung to the bed frame as they picked up speed, the structure beneath her shuddering as Poe pushed the engines to their max.

The transport broke through the barrier and shot out into space. Climbing to her feet, Rey hurriedly checked Ben over. Even through the commotion of their escape, he hadn't stirred. She brushed the strands of blood-crusted hair from his face, taking in his lax features and thready breath with concern, then flinched as the guns fired again overhead. She heard the telltale whine of twin ion engines gaining on them.

She wound a hand around the bed frame once more, bracing herself across the bunk for more enemy fire.

Suddenly the ship gave a low shudder, rumbling all around them, and Rey frowned. That wasn't blaster fire. Something had blown up. Something close.

From the cockpit, Poe gave a resounding whoop. "Take that, General Hugs!"

With a gasp, Rey turned to the back of the ship and reached out with the Force.

Starkiller Base was gone. Gone the way of Exegol. All that remained was dust.

Rey bent forward and kissed Ben's cool forehead. "Did you hear that?" she whispered. "We did it." Her breath hitched. "It's done."

She automatically gripped the frame again as the transport kicked back and rocketed into hyperspace. The cries of the TIE engines were lost behind them, and the gunfire quieted.

But he still didn't stir. A furrow marred his brow, and his breath was beginning to sound wet and labored as he panted shallowly through parted lips. Beneath the shock of blood, he was deathly pale.

Perching on the edge of the cot, Rey reached out with the Force, letting it speak to her of his condition as she hovered her trembling hands over his chest and abdomen. As the full extent of his injuries became apparent, she blew out a shaky sigh and willed herself not to start crying again.

It was bad.

She didn't know how many times he'd been hit, but if he hadn't been wearing armor plating, he would've been dead before he'd hit the floor, of that she was certain. She still wasn't sure how he wasn't dead already. The blaster bolts had ravaged him, piercing through his unprotected abdomen and limbs and bruising beneath the plates to the point of fracturing ribs. One lung was punctured, which explained his difficulty breathing. His internal organs were significantly damaged, and he had lost a frightening amount of blood. She could help a little, but if they didn't get him professional care soon, his systems would begin to shut down in short order, and then…

She swallowed down a sob, unable to think about it. "Ben, I can't do this alone," she whispered, looking down at him through swimming eyes. "You're going to have to fight too, okay? Hang on just a little while longer, sweetheart, please…"

Taking a deep, steadying breath, she extended her hands and closed her eyes, once again willing her strength, her life, all of her love for him to go to him, heal him, knit him back together. Little by little, she felt things rejoining, intertwining, returning to where they belonged. His crackling breath quieted as his ribs healed and his lungs cleared. The furrow in his brow smoothed away, and he seemed to rest a little easier.

When she grew tired, she stopped and looked down at him. He was still very pale, but not so deathly white anymore. She knew there was still much to be done, but she could feel that her energy reserves were very low. She couldn't do any more at the moment without giving up everything she had left.

There was another cot a couple steps away. Collapsing onto it, Rey rolled onto her side and kept watch over him until she fell asleep.

…

She awoke with a start some time later, clutching at her chest as the remnants of the nightmare faded. She'd been back in the dark vaults of Exegol, alone and crying as she hugged a black sweater to her chest. She immediately looked over at Ben, and let out a breath of relief as she saw his chest slowly rise and fall.

She pushed herself up from the cot and shuffled through the cabin to the cockpit. "Where are we?" she muttered groggily, dropping into the co-pilot's chair.

"Taking a detour," Poe said. "Rose suspects the First Order installed a tracking device somewhere on this ship. I noticed something weird on the computer once we were in hyperspace. She and Finn have been looking for it, but haven't found anything so far."

"So, where are we going?"

"Coruscant, for now. I know a place where we can trade this ship for a good deal."

Rey blanched. "But Coruscant will be crawling with Stormtroopers!"

"In a population that large, we'll be able to blend in. It's the last place they'll expect us to go. Trust me." He glanced at her. "Besides, I don't think we have much of a choice."

She looked at him questioningly.

"The Resistance doesn't have any sophisticated medical equipment anymore, not after we left D'Qar," Poe explained. He jerked his head in the direction of the cots. "He's gonna need a bacta tank at best, surgery at worst. I know a clinic where we can get help."

Rey bit her lip. "You're helping him?" she whispered.

Poe avoided her gaze. "He saved our skins, didn't he?"

She leaned forward and pecked the pilot's tan cheek. "Thank you, Poe."

…

"I think they may have actually written a tracker code into the computer," Rose was saying. She fingered the tattered edge of the bandage wrapped around her arm. "We've looked this ship over three times and found nothing out of place, but the readout is still acting odd."

They were all sitting around the table in the cabin while the transport vessel continued on its way to Coruscant. Poe had joined them after inputting the coordinates and switching on the autopilot feature.

"Good thing we're ditching this ship, then," Finn said.

Rey nodded sleepily, her chin propped up in her palm.

Rose eyed her with concern. "Rey, why don't you get some more rest? You expended a lot of energy on Starkiller, and we won't be at Coruscant for a while yet."

Poe nodded in agreement. "This fight isn't over yet. We still need you in top form. Go rest; someone'll wake you up when we're almost there."

Rey nodded. Though she wasn't formally versed in the healing aspect of the Force, she knew it was going to take a while to recover the life force she'd used in healing Ben. And Poe was right; the biggest challenges might've been overcome, but the fight wasn't over yet. Bits of the First Order were now scattered across the galaxy in the forms of lone Star Destroyers and isolated pockets of disorganized personnel. It would take time to make sure an uprising—or worse, the construction of another battle station—didn't occur.

But for now, she didn't have the energy to worry about it. She padded back to the bunks, taking a moment to check on Ben before she laid down. He was breathing easier than before, and he'd regained a bit of color, but he was still very pale, lying preternaturally still beneath the thin blanket she'd draped over him. The blood from his nose and mouth had dried in a dark stain over his chin, and the gouges from the blaster bolts had finally clotted over.

She went to the fresher and wet a cloth, then returned to his bedside. She'd been focused on other things earlier, and then she'd been too tired to take care of it, but now, she dabbed the cloth over the crusted blood, gently wiping it away and cleaning in the crevices around his nose and mouth. Slowly but steadily, the blood flaked away.

She studied him as she worked, her eyes flicking over the dark brow, long nose, and curved lips she adored so much. She listened to the soft sounds of his breath, taking comfort in the familiar nasally snuffle, the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest, and bit her lip against the dark thoughts lurking in the back of her mind. He would pull through this. He had to.

Once he was clean, she began to divest him of his dented armor. No doubt he'd rest better without it on, and once they arrived at the clinic on Coruscant, the medics would be able to take him back straightaway. She untied the plates and gently pried them away, dropping them into a pile of twisted metal on the floor beside the cot. She undid the closure of his cowl and laid the fabric out, not bothering with trying to tug it out from under him, then went to the foot of the bed to remove his boots.

Tucking the blanket around him once more, she settled on the edge of the cot and looked down at him again. She reached down and gently smoothed her fingers over his matted hair, brushing the crusted locks away from his face, then bent and slowly kissed his brow, his cheek, and finally the corner of his mouth. For a moment, she thought his lips twitched beneath hers, but then dismissed it as a wishful figment of her imagination.

Lying back on her own cot, Rey closed her eyes with a sigh and drifted back to sleep.

…

Poe brought the transport vessel through the spires and towers of the city-planet of Coruscant and down into the depths of the urban maze. Rey, Finn, and Rose watched from behind the pilot's chair as the buildings blocked out the sun rays and the ship descended into shadows, lit only by the flickering fluorescents and flashing neon lights of the planet's underbelly.

"Where is this place you know about?" Rose asked uneasily.

"Don't worry, it's legitimate," Poe snipped over his shoulder. "You don't want the First Order to know about this, right?"

He navigated through the airways with practiced ease, finally turning one last corner and bringing the ship down on actual soil. Rey looked through the viewport in surprise at the inexplicably open shipyard, tucked beneath so many miles of buildings above. She hadn't realized there was any accessible planet surface left on Coruscant. A small building—a shack, more than anything—stood before them. The lights inside the windows were dampened by faded curtains. To the side, a couple mechanics were working on a speeder by the light of several yellow halogen lamps. Engine oil and mud were smeared across their well worn jumpsuits.

"You guys stay here," Poe said as he maneuvered out of the cockpit. "The fewer people who see us, the better. I'll be back soon."

They did as he said, and watched from the cockpit as he crossed to the shack and let himself inside. Sure enough, it wasn't long before he returned.

"Got us a clean deal," he said, energy in his tone as he reclaimed his seat. "We're moving this one around back and switching over."

Setting the vessel down once again at the rear of the building, Finn and Rose went with Poe to check out the new ship. Rey watched from the cockpit as they went to a smaller vessel that had clearly seen better days. She frowned uncertainly as she observed the rust stains and faded paint. Lights began to flick on inside, and then she heard the engines start up. While they didn't purr like the First Order vessel, at least they didn't sputter.

Finn came back after a few minutes. "She seems to be in good working order, surprisingly," he delivered his assessment. "Let's move Solo over and go find help."

Poe and another man came up the ramp, bearing a sheet of metal siding. "Get him on here," the man said.

With Rey on strict rest from using the Force while she recovered, the three men slid Ben onto the makeshift stretcher and lifted him into the air. His brow furrowed and he groaned weakly as the movement jostled his body, and Rey jumped up, ready to go to him.

"Easy does it," Poe grunted, gripping the rope handle by Ben's shoulder. His friend hefted the handle on the other side, while Finn took the end by Ben's feet. The men shuffled down the ramp and over to the new ship. Rey and Rose finished packing the last of their supplies and followed them over.

"Thanks, Leo," Poe said, shaking the man's hand. "Take care of yourself."

"You too," the man replied. He nodded at the rest of them, then took his leave.

"It isn't much, but like I said, she's clean," Poe assured the team as he gave the fuselage wall a little pat. "Plus," he added, hefting a small bag of clinking credits, "The First Order vessel more than paid for it. This oughta afford Ben the care he needs. Come on, let's go."

Rose took her place as co-pilot while Rey went back to check on Ben.

The new ship was small, so small that there was only a single bunk in the rear, which the unconscious man now occupied. She frowned as she studied him. His brow was still furrowed, and his breath seemed more strained than before. He looked like he was in pain.

She slipped her hand into his. "Hold on, Ben," she whispered. "We're almost there."

…

Poe docked outside a nondescript building. The place he knew turned out to be a small private clinic, still deep enough within the great city to go mostly unnoticed, but not so deep into the underbelly that it made Rey question the quality of care offered here. And when they stepped inside, the corridors were pleasantly, surprisingly clean.

Poe strode up to the first person he saw, a young Twi'lek woman in the neatly-pressed clothes of a medical professional. "We've got an injured man aboard my ship," he told her. "Hurry."

"I'll get a carrier," she replied, jumping into action. Several other people jogged after her. The team of medical staff soon had Ben loaded onto a floating stretcher and headed for a treatment chamber. Rey made to follow, but the Twi'lek nurse stopped her.

"I promise you'll be allowed back once they've stabilized your friend," the nurse explained. "For now, I invite you all to make yourselves comfortable and rest." She took note of Rose's hastily-bandaged arm. "May I clean and re-bandage that for you?"

While the nurse took care of Rose, Poe excused himself to radio back to Ajan Kloss and tell Leia what had happened. Rey took to pacing along the waiting room, prowling the length of the area like a caged animal. When Rose returned, she sat next to Finn in a couple of stiff-looking chairs. Finn slipped his arm around Rose's shoulders as they settled in to wait.

Rey continued to pace. She felt uneasy and anxious being separated from Ben. She didn't like not knowing where he was or how he was doing. The Twi'lek nurse came by several times to assure them that Ben was responding well to their treatments, but as soon as she would walk away, Rey would resume her loop.

Finally, Finn spoke up. "Rey, you're making me tired just watching you," he said, drawing her attention from her pacing. "Why don't you sit down for a while? You must still be exhausted."

She was still exhausted, so much that she was sure she would pass out if she sat down, but she didn't want to stop moving. She didn't want to sleep. What if Ben needed her? What if—

"He's in good hands," Finn said in a low voice, so as not to disturb Rose, who had fallen asleep on his shoulder. "Come on." He patted the chair beside him.

Against her better judgment, Rey sat down next to him. In mere minutes, her head was drooping onto his other shoulder, her eyes falling closed as her breath evened out.

…

They were there for almost a week.

The others had taken to camping out in the ship. Poe had found a safe, out-of-the-way place to dock it for the time being. During the first day, he made contact with Leia and updated her on their status and approximate location. She was overjoyed to hear of their success, and horrified to learn of Ben's injuries, but she remained hopeful that he would survive. Since then, the team had gone to find supplies to last them until they could reconvene with the rest of the Resistance. They'd stocked up on rations, and found fresh changes of clothes. They spent most of their time on the ship, lying low and waiting.

Rey, however, had insisted on staying at the clinic, curling up in the uncomfortable chairs with a thin, standard-issue blanket at night, rising and stretching in the morning before seeking out the nurse and asking after Ben. Each time there was a positive report, but she still hadn't seen him with her own eyes. Finn had brought her food, and Rose had made her pause in her vigil long enough to change into clothes that weren't caked with blood, but she refused to stay on the ship. She didn't know when Ben would wake, and she needed to be there when he did.

When she awoke on the fifth day, she had half a mind to barge through the doors and find him herself. But to her surprise, on this morning, the Twi'lek nurse sought her out first.

"He's awake," the nurse said.

Rey perked immediately. "I want to see him."

The nurse stopped her with an outstretched hand. "I'll take you to him in a minute. I think it will be beneficial for him, actually. But I must warn you, he is very… agitated."

They started walking as the nurse continued to explain. "We sedated him while he was in the bacta tank. The internal damage healed well, but there was some scarring along his organs which required further intervention. Everything is healed now, but the tissue is still very new and needs time to mature. He will be in some degree of discomfort for a while yet, and will need to be very careful as he continues to mend."

"You said he's agitated?" Rey prompted, following the nurse down another corridor.

"Yes. He… When we brought him out of sedation early this morning, he seemed disoriented and emotional. That isn't an unusual reaction to such medications." The nurse frowned. "But rather than improving, it only got worse. He was becoming near inconsolable when I left to find you."

The nurse stopped in front of a nondescript door. To Rey's dismay, she could hear raised voices in the room beyond.

"...undo these straps right now!"

"—still, or you'll injure—"

"—not supposed to behere—"

The nurse opened the door and Rey stepped inside.

"Sir, please, lie still!" another nurse was saying, hands raised placatingly as she tried to soothe the man lying in the bed.

Rey's eyes flicked to Ben. He was strapped to the bed, and it soon became obvious it had been done for his own safety as he writhed and pulled against the taut straps. His red-rimmed eyes looked wild.

"No, no, no, you don't understand," he was arguing, his voice rising into another shredding scream as he strained against the straps. Cords stood out in his neck and tears streamed down his face as he tried to fight his way free. "I can't feel her!"

She'd never seen him so… unhinged. She didn't think she'd ever even heard him raise his voice quite like that before. It was terrible.

Rushing past the nurses, Rey threw herself into his line of sight. "Ben, I'm here. I'm right here!"

His eyes flashed to hers, and he froze. "Rey?" he breathed.

"Yes, it's me. I'm right here."

He sucked in a breath, his chin wobbling as he stared at her. "I couldn't feel you," he choked out, tears spilling over as his voice broke. "I couldn't feel you. I couldn't feel you…"

The nurses undid the straps, and then Rey was crawling up into the bed with him, curling into him as his arms came around her. He held her against his chest as he wept into her hair.

"I was recovering," she murmured. "That's all."

"You could've died!" he gritted out.

"It wasn't like that. I knew what I was doing."

"I was gravely wounded. It could've easily taken your reserves to heal me, leaving you with no life force left. You don't know how close you came to—to—" He broke off in a shuddering, gasping sob. The sound was disconsolate and full of pain.

Rey pulled away enough to look down at him. "Ben, you have to calm down," she murmured, smoothing a hand over his tangled hair. "You'll make yourself sick." She pressed a kiss to his furrowed brow, then leaned her forehead against his. "I knew better than to go too far. I remember what you said before. I felt the spark of your life inside you; I knew you weren't gone yet. I healed you slowly, allowing myself time to recover while your body continued to mend on its own."

She pulled back and caught his gaze. "Can you imagine what it would've done to me if I'd lost you?" she whispered, resting a hand against his cheek. "It would've destroyed me. I wasn't going to let that happen, not if I could help it. You're mine, remember? You're mine, and I'm yours, and we're supposed to have our whole lives to be together. You deserve to live."

She kissed his brow again, then took a deep breath, inhaling the familiar, comforting scent of him—somewhat marred by the sterile smell of the clinic, but still somehow there. She heard him do the same, matching his unsteady breath to hers. He was starting to calm down, now.

"Maybe next time you can duck and cover and save us this whole scare, hm?" she teased, pulling away and smiling gently down at him.

He huffed at her weak attempt at humor, then promptly grimaced. "Ow."

"You're going to have to take it easy for a while," she warned him. "Everything was repaired, but you still have a lot of healing to do." Even now, there were several fine scars running across the side of his face, where the blaster wounds had nearly healed over. She gently ran her finger along the length of one.

He nodded, then dragged the heel of his hand across his eyes and sniffed wetly.

She watched him for a moment longer. "We did it, you know," she murmured. "Exegol, then Starkiller Base. They're gone."

He nodded again. "I felt Exegol. I think I felt Starkiller Base." He let his head relax back onto the pillow with a sigh, and his eyes drifted closed.

"How does it feel?" Rey asked him. "To be done?"

His lips twitched in a small, tired smile. "Really, really good."

"We get to live our lives now."

"Yes, we do."

With one last smile, she nestled back into his side and looped an arm over his stomach. His arms tightened around her, and she felt him shift before his lips pressed against her hair.

She held him until he drifted into a natural sleep. Exhausted from the events of the last several days, and finally having grown warm and comfortable under his heavy arms, she wasn't far behind him.