Sorry for the wait in getting this next one out - just started a grad school class! Hope this is worth the wait :)

CHAPTER 6

Poe sat across from Rey and Ben at a large table with a deactivated holo-projector in the middle within the conference room. Tension was palatable in the room as all three remained silent after taking their seats. Luckily, the silence was broken by Finn, who strode confidently into the room, giving a quick wink to Rey before he turned towards Poe and took a seat next to him, letting a neutral look takeover his face.

Rey relaxed a little, and felt Ben do the same next to her. She reached her hand out and lightly brushed his forearm with her fingertips before placing her hands on the table, clasped together. She was determined to keep her anger to a simmer in order to have a reasonable discussion with the equally hot-headed Poe.

"So, who talks first?" Ben crossed his arms while mimickicking the words that the snarky pilot had said to him that night on Jakku when they had first crossed paths. The sarcasm was noted by Rey, who turned to give him a narrow-eyed look of warning.

"You're lucky we're having a discussion in the first place, Ren. With your crimes, I should have you locked in a cell for the rest of your days," Poe retorted, placing his hands flat on the table and rising slightly out of his chair.

Rey looked anxiously at Finn, both understanding that this conversation was already taking a turn for the worse. Finn reached up to his friend and co-general and placed a hand on his shoulder, lightly pressing him back into his seat.

A ripple of shame ran from Ben to Rey through the bond, and Ben cast his eyes downward at the table. Kylo Ren was not who he was anymore, and he wasn't doing a good job at convincing anyone at the moment.

"His name is Ben," Rey said calmly, yet firmly before continuing, "And he and I want to make this work for everyone, for the good of the –"

"I'm sorry." Ben suddenly cut Rey off in the midst of her crusading on his behalf and placed a hand gently over her still-clasped hands on table.

All eyes snapped to the person in question, surprised by the apology.

"I know who I was and what I did. It was all…unforgivable. I know that re-claiming my birth name does not erase my past. I am here now to attempt to make up for even a fraction of what I did to all of you," He slowly looked from Poe to Finn and then to Rey, whose eyes were wide with compassion, an imperceptible nod encouraging him to keep going. "I am willing to do what it takes, to stay here with Rey, and to help you right the wrongs I committed against the galaxy."

Poe listened intently, his fingers tapping his bottom lip in contemplation. He looked to Rey as Ben spoke, noting that she was seemingly enraptured with the man, a small smile at her lips. Poe then looked to his left at Finn, raising his eyebrows in a silent question.

Finn gave a slight shrug of his shoulders and nodded in Ben's direction, "I think he's being sincere, Poe. Don't we all deserve second chances?"

Poe opened his mouth to object, but then remembered himself. He himself had been a spice runner and his friend a First Order stormtrooper. However, with their respective second chances they had both managed to become assets to the Resistance and had successfully defended the galaxy. Although, all their crimes combined had been far less heinous than those of the man sitting across the table from them.

"What would Leia do?" Poe silently pondered this question as he had done what felt like hundreds of times since her leadership had passed to him. Kylo Ren or Ben Solo, either way he was Leia's son. Poe knew that even in the face of everything he had done, Leia would still have held onto hope for her only child. She always held out for hope, even in the darkest of times.

"Oh, alright. Second chances…Yeah, I'm sure I'll live to regret this one," he finally spoke, grumbling.

Ben sat up straighter, surprised at the acceptance, however reluctant it was given out.

Finn smiled widely, clapping Poe on the shoulder.

"But," Poe held up his index finger towards Ben, "There have to be some kind of stipulations."

On this, the other general agreed, his smile fading as he spoke with authority, "We can't just let him waltz around base like it never happened, Rey."

Rey's face darkened faintly at her friends' words, but knew it was the only way to go forward. No one would ever understand how she saw things when it came to Ben.

"Both of you are now assigned to the Engineering Corps under Rose," Poe then looked pointedly at Ben, "I don't know if you have any skills other than destruction, but I'm sure Tico will sort you out."

Ben and Rey exchanged looks but remained silent.

Poe then looked to Rey, his gaze softening at his friend, "And Rey – he will have an escort at all times while on this base."

"Done," Ben said loudly, standing up before Rey could even make some sort of counteroffer in their favor.

Again, all parties looked shocked by his actions. Poe leaned back in his chair, arms crossed across his chest, trying to decide if the man was kissing his ass or actually sincere.

Ben reached out his arm across the table, motioning for a handshake to seal the arrangement he had agreed to. Poe considered it for a moment, then sighed and begrudgingly took it and gave it a curt shake.

Rey stood up to join the men, looking to Ben's face and noticing a hint of a smile. Before Exegol, his face, even when unmasked, had never hinted at emotions, always hiding and suppressing. Now, she could see the contentment and determination radiating from him and looped her arm through his, basking in his positive feelings.

Two weeks went by without much incident, by Resistance standards. Across the galaxy, the last First Order stragglers were being dealt with slowly but surely.

Ben and Rey had adopted a sort of rhythm between them, enjoying their day of working with engineers and mechanics, and ending with a peaceful night. Aside from the occasional dirty look or whispered insult, much of the Resistance chose to ignore Ben's presence. Those who they worked alongside tolerated him, at the very least.

Commander Rose Tico was young, petite, and fierce. Though Rey was her friend, she didn't give them any easy assignments and kept a close eye on Ben.

Ben wiped a drip of sweat from his temple with the back of his forearm, avoiding the use of his grease-streaked hand. They had been working on Poe's X-wing for nearly two days.

"Hand me that -" Before he could finish his request, Rey had handed him the part, smiling to herself. He was deep in the guts of the fighter, and now the only part of him visible to Rey was his lower half and the occasional filthy hand reaching out for a requested part or tool.

"What a view, Solo," Rey laughed before ducking under the fighter to see what his progress was. She herself had just finished with the electrical upgrades on the controls in the cockpit.

"Oh, switch off," Ben chuckled back, his voice echoing slightly from the surrounding metallic build of the ship.

"C'mon, its nearly dark. I think we can call it a day," Rey coaxed, handing him the pair of pliers he was about to ask for next.

"Almost there…Just need to connect this wire to- got it!" he declared and then lowered himself out of the ship, smiling triumphantly.

She couldn't help but be dazed by his smile, so bright in contrast to the streaks of grime that marred his broad face. He looked so much younger like this.

Ben toned down his smile to a smirk as he held out his hand to her. She looked at it for a moment before giving him a smirk of her own as she took his hand, her own just as grimy as his from a long day's work.

Later that night...

Leaning back on the bed, Ben watched as Rey deftly sectioned her wet hair and tied it back into her traditional style of buns. It reminded him of his mother, and how he would sit with her and watch her reflection in the mirror as she carefully crafted one of her elaborate up-dos while simultaneously making funny faces at her young son. The memory made something deep inside of him ache. However, a warmth that had been long forgotten now surrounded the ache, dulling the pain and bringing peace. The memories still hurt, but he no longer feared them as he once did.

"Why do you always do your hair that way?" He asked suddenly, a little shocked that he had uttered the words out loud.

"Sorry, what?" Rey seemed startled and sounded almost insulted.

"I mean," he quickly clarified, "I've always wondered, why it is that you chose that particular style most days?"

"Oh, I…" Rey spoke in a hushed tone and dropped her hands, the third bun left unfinished and loose around her neck. Losing her train of thought, she stared off into the corner of the room for a moment before continuing, "It's one of the few things I remember…from my parents. My mother would do my hair like this, to match hers."

Ben suddenly could see it in his head; the flash of a memory of a woman with auburn hair tied back and a close-mouthed smile, humming softly as she tied a young girl's hair back into the top bun. Just as quickly as it began, it faded, and Ben looked to Rey, her head turned towards him now and crumpling into sadness.

Her sorrow coursed through him, as if traveling through his veins. He clambered over the bed towards where she sat at the end of it, enveloping her in a tight hug. He felt the wetness on his bare chest, and she turned her face into him, hiding it from his sight.

Ben held her like this for a few moments before lessening his grip around her and bringing his hand to her face, using his thumb to brush away a new tear that had started to trail down her cheek.

"I'm so sorry, Rey."

She could see how much he meant it in his eyes, and felt it in her soul as well. She sniffled and cast her eyes down, "Knowing now that they didn't abandon me, that they loved me and wanted to keep me safe… I just wish I knew who they were, or anything about them… Their names, even."

"She didn't even know their names," Ben thought, trying to imagine his life if he had known nothing about his parents or where he had come from. Sometimes, he wished, he knew a bit less about his family's complicated legacy, but it was a part of who he was. Rey had had no family to love or hate as she had struggled to survive in the Jakku desert.

He slipped his hand under her chin and lightly tilted it back towards him, looking into her pink-rimmed eyes before softly speaking, "Then let's find out."

Rey's brows furrowed in confusion and she paused a moment before answering, "What? How?"

The corner of his mouth turned up into a hopeful smile, "Maz Kanata knows more about the no-ones and nobodies of the galaxy than anyone I've ever heard of. We should start with her. There has to be someone out there who knows something, Rey."

The confused look was slowly replaced by one of pure adoration, her eyes filling with tears once again, but this time of happiness. Rey closed the distance between them and kissed him, gently gripping both sides of his jaw and slowly moving her lips against his. Responding immediately, Ben lowered his hands and lifted her body so that she was fully on the bed, her knees tucked underneath her. She was nearly standing on her knees to match his height.

A low groan emanated from the back of his throat when she parted her lips just enough for her tongue to dart out to meet his, their connection sparking wildly and making their every move in sync with the other's.

Ben could feel his temperature rising and his thoughts scattering as she continued her welcomed assault. She reached her arms around his neck, one hand running through his hair and the other leaving a light trail of fingertips up and down his shoulder blade. In kind, he moved his hands down her back, the expanse of his hands almost dwarfing the width of her torso. He placed one hand on the small of her back, and the other between her shoulder blades, bringing her body flush with his own.

The amplification of their physical intimacy had been building slowly over the past weeks, and it was becoming almost painful to sleep next to her after kissing her and roaming his hands over her body. Her inexperience made her shy away every time it felt like they were about to go over the edge, and Ben would be lying if he said it didn't take a special kind of strength to comply.

This time, however, was different. She usually let him take the lead, but this time she was the aggressor, and she was not handing over the controls. He could see the flashes of thoughts she was sharing with him, a blur of their bodies and sheets, causing the heat within him to reach a near melting point. He felt the turn of her lips upward into a smile as they continued kissing, and knew she was sensing his feelings on the matter-at-hand.

So distracted was he by his own hands on her body that he shuddered when he suddenly felt her hands drop and begin a trail down his spine, ending at the top of his sleep pants and teasingly tracing the inside of the waistband.

Rey could feel the effect her teasing was drawing from him, knowing that he was still holding back, waiting for her to make the decision of how far she was willing to go. Truthfully, she had been nervous, scared even, of the strength of her physical attraction to him, never having felt such for anyone before. Now, her headstrong nature was set loose and her mind was made up. Through the Bond, Rey tried to show him her willingness and want; no, need for him. He responded before she could finish the thought, twisting their bodies gracefully so that she was now laying stretched out on the bed and he hovered over her, holding his weight on either side of her with his forearms and his legs on either side of hers. They separated for a moment, looking at one another. The sadness in Rey's eyes having been replaced with a longing look. That was the last sign that Ben needed. The dark side, power, legacy; none of that had been what he truly sought in life. It was her. So much time had been wasted in discovering this, but Ben Solo was determined now to make up for that with every breath he had left.

So - was trying to not go too far towards the 'M rating' area. Totally has the capability to, but I'm not sure if that keeps in tone with the story as of now... Unless that's what the readers want to see!

Thank you for all that have stopped by to read, review, and/or favorite! Truly makes my day. Stay safe out there my friends!