A/N: It's a little short and a little rough, but I hope you enjoy!

A rumbling sound from above drew Ben's eyes up. The shadows of rebellion ships crossed the grey pre-dawn sky, several small fighters-as well as the Falcon-escorting a larger bomber.

"Rey," he murmured, squeezing her arm gently.

Her brow furrowed, and without opening her eyes, she said, "What?"

"Look," he said.

Her eyes squinted open and landed on Ben, then trailed upwards to the sky. "That's a lot of ships," she said, her speech still slurred, then cocked her head. "I wonder what they're doing here."

"They're Resistance ships," Ben replied softly. "They're going to bomb the complex."

"Right, I knew that," Rey said, bobbing her head sagely.

"I know you did," Ben said, unable to keep a smile from his lips.

The fighters peeled away from the bomber as it approached the compound to circle at a safe distance. As the bomber lumbered over the compound, charges began dropping from its belly. Red-orange explosions lit the skeletal forest, casting long shadows over Ben and Rey, and thundering booms shook the ground as charge after charge landed.

The shock wave rippled over them, and Ben cradled Rey a little closer as their ship rocked. He expected to feel relieved, but he only felt hollow.

"Boom," Rey said softly, a vague smile on her face. He glanced down at her, a soft chuckle shaking his chest. She twisted her head to look up at him, eyes narrowed. "Are you laughing at me?"

He shrugged, still smirking. "You're funny when you're drugged up."

She narrowed her eyes further and brought a finger up to poke his nose. "You would be, too."

He laughed harder, playfully shoving her finger away and planting a kiss on her forehead. She scowled and wiped her forehead. "Ewwwww." Then they both looked up to see the Falcon descending slowly to the forest floor.

"Come on, let's go," Ben said, popping the cockpit open.

"No," Rey moaned, burying her face in his chest. "It's so cold."

"I know," he said, a soft smile brushing his lips. "But we need to get you back to base."

Her head popped up. "Are you coming with me?"

"No, I have to fly this back separately."

She huffed.

Ben slid his left arm under her knees to carry her out, but she smacked his hand away. "I can get out just fine on my own." She leaned out of the cockpit, hands gripping the edge to steady herself, and more or less flopped her legs over and fell to the ground. Smiling to himself, Ben followed her out as she got to her feet. She swayed unsteadily, and he tucked an arm around her waist to hold her up.

The two set off, Rey's gait shuffling and uneven next to Ben's solid, steady presence. Poe broke through the trees in front of them, breathless. "Did you see that?" he said, grinning.

Rey lifted her head to beam at Poe. "Yes, it was a very big boom," she said, nodding sagely.

Poe's brows furrowed. "Zorii said she'd gotten drugged, but I didn't realize it was that bad," he said. "Let's get her onboard the Falcon so we can get her back to base and she can sleep this off."

They stepped onto the ship, the atmosphere warm and inviting after the biting wind. The gangplank hissing shut behind them, Poe and Ben laid Rey down on the bunk, her eyelids already fluttering shut.

"I can fly one of the X-wings back, but what are we going to do about the other one?" Ben said as he shook out a blanket.

"Don't worry about them," Poe said. "I'll send someone to pick them up once we get back to base." He turned and headed for the cockpit, then tossed over his shoulder with a smirk, "Stay here and keep an eye on Rey, make sure she doesn't roll out of bed or anything."

Ben sat on the edge of the pad as Poe powered the ship up. His gaze traveled up and around the hallway, and he found himself wishing he could remember being with his father here, but there was nothing. It hit him suddenly that he'd barely known his parents, that he'd never had a chance to. He'd been so young when Luke had taken him away to be trained. He only had the vaguest memories of his parents when he'd been a child, blurry images of his mother's soft smile, of his father swinging him around in the air, of hugging them tight the day he left. And now he'd never know them. Not really. He suddenly felt homesick in a way he hadn't since he'd been a child, ostracized and isolated at the academy.

His eyes fell to Rey, her chest gently rising and falling and her eyes moving back and forth under her eyelids. She was so...good. So pure. His chest ached. He reached over and took her hand in his. Hers was cold and a little clammy, small and pale in his grasp. Still, he knew she was stronger than he'd ever be.

Once the ship was in hyperspace, Poe stood from his seat and went to check on Rey. Leaning against the wall, he asked, "How is she?"

Ben glanced up at him. "Fine," he replied. "Just sleeping."

Poe nodded, and both men fell silent for a moment, their eyes on Rey.

"Can I ask you something?" Poe said suddenly.

Surprised, Ben looked up at him. "Yes."

"Why did you decide to join the Resistance?" Poe asked, keeping his tone carefully neutral.

"Why do you ask?" Ben replied, his expression guarded.

"A general deserves to know who's fighting for him," Poe said simply, his gaze intense.

Ben nodded and considered for a moment. "I'm here to make things right."

"Right," Poe replied. "But what changed?"

Ben sighed. "It's complicated."

"We've got time."

Ben stood and folded his arms, turning away from Poe. He understood Poe's need to know why, but he still didn't really want to talk about it. The whole thing was too personal. And he barely knew Poe. Still, he knew he had to say something. "Someone saw more to me and believed I could change."

"Rey?"

Ben shrugged. "Yes."

Poe stepped towards Ben, and their eyes locked. "I need to know if this goes beyond her," he said. "If we lose her, do we lose you, too?" He watched the question hit home. Ben's eyes flickered, his gaze faltering for a moment. He hadn't considered that. But then he thought back to the moment he saw her lying there before Sidious' throne, the moment he thought she was dead, and he knew his answer.

"I have a debt to repay," he said, holding Poe's gaze. "No matter what happens to Rey, I can't back down from that."

Poe searched Ben's eyes and found only unbreakable resolve. He nodded, finally dropping his gaze. "I'm glad to hear that," he said, clapping Ben on the shoulder. "Because this battle isn't over yet." He turned and made his way back to the cockpit.

Ben stood there, arms hanging at his sides, not quite sure what to make of what had just passed. The interaction left him profoundly uncomfortable, but relieved as well. He knew Poe was on his side now, or at least had begun to be, and that mattered. And that clap on the shoulder...he couldn't remember ever experiencing that kind of camaraderie before.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Rey shifting in her sleep, and he sat again, gently smoothing the hair from her face. She had believed in him when no one else had, she had seen the light when he had done everything he could to snuff it out, and she had brought him back from the brink. He owed her his life. A warmth rose in his chest, a profound sense of peace, and a soft smile touched his lips. "I love you, Rey," he whispered.