Thank you for the favorites and reviews! Truly keeps me going. And honestly, I have zero plans for this, I am writing as it comes to me when I have the spare time to sit down! I'm still just trying to carve out who they are both individually and as one entity in the aftermath. So - on that note, your reviews really matter :)

I hope you enjoy this next one. There's a small part in the middle that I particularly enjoyed writing - see if you can figure out which!

CHAPTER 4

"One more good slather of bacta, and you're all set, Solo," a sprightly female medic said as she placed a dollop of the thick, gooey substance on his ankle. Rey stood next to where he sat on a makeshift exam table, rolling her eyes. He was still afraid to let her heal him, opting for the traditional route.

"Thanks," Ben muttered, slightly annoyed at the feeling of the gelatinous goop now wrapped around his foot as he slowly slid it back into his boot.

As he was leaning forward to lace up, he spared a sideways glance for Rey, who was looking a little too smug at his current predicament.

"Don't even say it," he groaned, rolling his own eyes and eliciting a muffled giggle from her.

When they left the medical area, a light rain began to fall upon the forest encampment. Rey stopped in place, closing her eyes and looking up with a small smile growing on her face. She loved the rain; it was a novelty being from a backwater desert planet.

Ben stopped with her, watching her enjoy this simple act of nature. He, or rather, they, had nowhere to be, no mission to focus on, no enemy to seek out. For once, they had time for just this sort of small and peaceful pleasure. Something struck him then, making it feel almost as if the ground beneath him had tilted with his realization.

Is this what silence feels like? Is this what it feels like to finally not be pushed and used for destruction by an ever-present, ominous voice within?

Ben Solo was almost knocked over by the feeling of calm within him, the quiet in his soul that he had never had as far as his memory went back. Palpatine, whether in the guise of Darth Vader or Snoke, had been there from the very beginning, poisoning and plotting the use of another Skywalker. He suddenly felt directionless and lost. He had been Kylo Ren for so long, even before he had assumed the name. What is it to be Ben Solo?

Rey, sensing an abrupt shift in the mood of their Bond, opened her eyes and turned to look at him, droplets of cool water trailing down her face from the steady rain. She could see he was lost in a swirl of thoughts and from the look on his face, it wasn't a pleasant state. Slowly, she reached for his hand.

He blinked and shook his head slightly at the warmth of her touch now interrupting his looping thoughts. Without a word, he allowed himself to be led through the encampment, still feeling lost in a daze.

Despite their disagreement on the subject of Ben, Poe had graciously gifted Rey with General Organa's private quarters within the heart of the camp. With the loss of Leia's flagship, the Tantive IV, during the Final Order's defeat, the remaining members of the Resistance now resided in assorted ships from the Citizen's Fleet all over the base and there wasn't much space to be had as a result.

Neither of the couple said a word as they entered the cavernous structure near where Rey had often lounged, engrossed in the teachings of the Jedi texts. Upon entering through the doorway, both of them were taken aback by their respective emotions. Ben looked around tentatively, noting the strong energy of his mother that still permeated the large, but not quite ostentatious, room. An overwhelming, yet equal, sadness settled between them, streaking through their Bond.

Releasing her hand, Ben gravitated towards a simple desk with a chair that had a cloak draped over it. He fingered the cloth tenderly and ran his eyes over the disarray of data pads on the desktop. He swallowed sharply; his throat tight with unreleased grief.

Rey turned away, giving him a private moment to himself. Though she felt the loss of Leia deeply, she knew it could be no match for the storm of feelings that her son was likely experiencing now. Absentmindedly, she made her own way to a nearby bureau that was small but ornate, speaking to the taste of the Princess turned General. She hovered her hand over the various pieces of jewelry and knick-knacks that lay out, appreciating their beauty, until one piece stopped her hand. It was a small, triangular piece of what appeared to be warped metal, slightly tarnished with age and looped onto a delicate silver chain. She had never seen Leia wear it, and it appeared out of place amongst the rest of the elaborate and refined jewelry laid out before her. Curious, Rey held it up, hanging the thin chain over her index finger for a closer inspection.

"I cannot believe she kept that piece of junk," Ben whispered, the astonishment obvious.

Rey nearly jumped in surprise at the broken silence, looking to him on her left. He had come to stand close behind her, his chest nearly touching her shoulder as he leaned over her ever so slightly, staring at the dangling piece of metal.

"What is it?" Rey matched his whisper, as if the moment held a secret magic that she did not yet understand.

"It's supposed to be the Crest of Alderaan," he said with an air of awkwardness, his focus remaining on the piece. He extended his hand to touch it with his thumb and forefinger, as if assuring himself that it would not disappear like his father's dice had in his hands on Crait. "I made it for her, when I was ten. It was for her birthday."

Again reminded of his lost innocence, Rey's eyes welled with tears, imagining him as a young boy filled with love for his mother. She turned so she was facing him fully and circled her arms around his waist, leaning her cheek on his chest. Without breaking the embrace, she spoke, "She kept it because she loves you. She never gave up on you, Ben. Leia always knew there was still light in you."

Ben's heart felt like it skipped a beat as he returned the embrace, clasping the handmade pendant in his palm and dropping his chin to the top of her head. Deep within, he knew what she said was true. Though she wasn't the most present mother in the galaxy, she had always championed him, encouraged him, and believed in him when he was in doubt. He had experienced it fleetingly that day in his TIE, in pursuit of the fleet of the Resistance, when he took his thumbs off of the trigger, feeling the link of love shared between mother and son. Even after that, he still doubted, telling himself that it was a trick of the mind, a weakness of the light that called to him.

That day on Kef Bir, though, could never be doubted. Hearing his name called by his mother's voice was like an electric shock that suddenly woke him from a coma. He didn't even feel his own saber plunge into his abdomen, being too encompassed in his mother's aura to register the fatal blow. Only when he had felt her light in the galaxy go out, did the full acknowledgement of what he had become rain down upon him like an avalanche. When Rey had healed him in the next moments, and told him that she had wanted to take Ben's hand, the pain in his soul had been unbearable, and he had wished she left the wound to take him.

The facets of his mind were laid bare and Rey felt him replay his memories, seeing them as if it were happening in front of her again, but through his eyes. Words were not needed between them then, so she simply held him tightly, letting him come to peace with his own truth.

After some time in the room, both managed to reign in their emotions enough to focus on the situation at hand. They had had so few moments together alone as partners rather than enemies, and it felt odd to simply relax in the presence of one another. Physically, they were still shy and unsure around one another, so they both acted on old habits and distanced themselves slightly within the space.

Rey stretched out on the bed on her stomach, a brittle book of Jedi teachings laid open in front of her. Only a few feet away, Ben sat at the desk, examining his mother's scattered, but thoughtfully laid out plans for the future of the galaxy. The silence between them was both peaceful and welcome after the madness of the past few days. It was becoming late, and neither had eaten yet, but they both felt too raw to face others at the moment.

The silence was broken when three hesitant knocks sounded at their door. Their eyes met in question, and Rey shrugged, hopping out of the bed to answer. Finn appeared in their doorway, looking cautious.

"Finn, hi," Rey said, giving him a tentative smile, unsure if it would be a friendly encounter or another screaming match like with Poe.

Ben stood up quickly, the chair making a scraping noise along the floor at the abruptness of being moved. He didn't want Rey to have to defend him again.

When Rey made no move to invite him in, Finn sighed and glanced to Ben, standing a few feet behind her, looking formidable. "Poe told me to tell you that he arranged a room for Kylo Ren on the other side of camp. I'm here to escort him."

Rey took a deep breath, trying to keep the darkness of her anger from flaring at the first friend she had ever made, "You can politely tell General Poe that I will be Ben's chaperone in my own quarters, and I will take full responsibility for him."

The former stormtrooper did not seem surprised by her response. She was about to close the door in his face, clearly done with the direction of the conversation before he put out a quick hand to stop it.

"Rey- wait, I'm sorry! You asked me to keep an open mind, and I want to hear you out."

She gave him a small, thankful smile and opened the door back up, nodding for him to enter. She led him over to a small table with two chairs in the far corner of the room. Ben remained in place, only turning to watch them settle in at the table. He suddenly felt awkward, unsure of what to do next in light of her friend's willingness to listen. Even now, after everything, he was always expecting a battle.

Rey gave a short, but detailed version of the complexities of their Bond and the events of Exegol from within the Sith temple. To his credit, Finn listened intently without interrupting and had a genuine look of contemplation on his face, looking back and forth between Rey and Ben as she spoke. Ben walked over to them at one point towards the end of her story, standing behind Rey with a protective hand on her shoulder, waiting for an eventual confrontation.

Once Rey finished, she took a deep breath, looking hopefully at her friend and grazing her hand over the one Ben had placed on her shoulder.

"You're right, I can feel the change. In you, and in him." Finn finally spoke as he turned his eyes from his hands clasped on the table, a look of understanding directed at both of them.

Ben's eyes widened and he almost stuttered, "You? You can feel it?"

Something clicked in Rey's mind and Ben felt it, both looking at Finn in astonishment. "Wait, what was it that you had to tell me? That time in the sinking fields, on Pasaana?"

"Well at first I thought I was crazy…"

"Finn. You can feel it, the Force? How long…?"

He shrugged in response, a sly smile crossing his features, "Yeah, at first it was just a feeling. You know, like when I decided to leave the First Order and just knew it was right. Later, it became stronger than a feeling…on Exegol. I felt…I felt you die, Rey."

Rey was stunned, but also cheerful. How could she have been so unobservant of her own friend through the last months? Shaking off the shock of the new revelation, she jumped up from her chair and flung herself at Finn, hugging him. Ben couldn't help but feel a warmth of optimism at the turn of events as well.

Optimism was still relatively new to them both, but now they couldn't help but smile at the prospect of tomorrow.

Don't worry, I think I'm getting to a little more romance coming up. Hope you're all enjoying the ride as much as I am!

Side note about the jewelry - I did a little research and there is actually a Crest of Alderaan, its an upside down triangle shape with curves. Apparently Leia wore a hair clip in that shape in one of the originals!