Halo

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A/N-thank you for the kind reviews on the last chapter.

Chapter Twenty-Five-The Princess and the Scavenger Girl

"And where have you been? You were supposed to be waiting for me here." Han demanded.

Kylo wasn't expecting a ticking off from his father when he and Rey eventually returned to the Falcon. Arguing felt pointless so he just gave a nonchalant shrug-a gesture very reminiscent of Han if he stopped to think about it for a minute. "I had somewhere to be." He said by way of an explanation.

Han scowled as he glared at his son. "There's been some developments." He said gruffly.

Before Kylo could respond, Rey took the opportunity to make herself scarce. After the eventful morning she had just had, she really didn't want to get in the middle of a father/son confrontation. "I'll leave you to it." She said a low voice to Kylo.

"Where are you going?" Kylo ignored his father's impatient sigh as he turned his attention to Rey. He tried to keep his hammering heart under control as he looked at her, suddenly anxious that the abrupt way he had ended their first lesson might have put her off from engaging with him anymore. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong." Rey sensed his anxiety and tried to make her tone soothing. She could tell he was still tormented about what had happened at the end of the lesson. His sad admission that he was constantly plagued by the dark side was upsetting. She had only endured it for a few minutes, when the blackness engulfed her thoughts, stretching out in front of her like a map, the unknown robbing her of all sense of self, while it tried to seduce her with whispered words of power.

"Rey, we need to talk about what happened." Kylo seemed to forget about his father's presence as he drew closer to her.

He was so handsome, from the depth of his eyes, to the gentle expressions of his voice. Rey felt like she was drowning in those eyes, the way he looked at her like she was some precious thing, took her breath away. Some space was definitely needed, she decided. "We can talk later. Right now, you need to talk to your dad. While you're doing that, I'm going to check in with Rose."

Kylo nodded reluctantly. "Fine. I'll come find you after I'm done here."

"Bye." Rey blessed him with a small smile, before waving goodbye to Han.

Han nodded at her. "See you later, kid."

Kylo waited until Rey was out of sight, knowing he couldn't put off the inevitable anymore. He really didn't want to hear what Han had to say, he knew it was something to do with his mother. He could just imagine how Han's confrontation with Leia had gone down. About as well as his own by the frustrated look on the older man's face. "I told you it was a waste of time." He said before his father had a chance to say anything.

Han couldn't deny the truth of his words. He placed his hands on his hips and stared at his son bleakly. "She just needs a bit more convincing. But like I said…there's been some developments."

"What developments?" Kylo asked suspiciously.

Han hesitated a beat as he considered his words carefully. "That droid of yours…" He began.

Kylo frowned. "If you mean BB-8…he's not my droid."

"Well someone better tell him that." Han continued brusquely. "Anyway, he was holding a section of a navigational chart that pinpointed Luke's location. He took it upon himself to wake up R2-who had the rest of the star chart buried in his archives all this time." He paused when he saw his son's face darken. "Ben, you alright?"

"Not really." Kylo responded sarcastically. Just the mention of Skywalker brought back all his bitter and conflicted feelings towards his uncle racing to the surface.

"I guess not." Han stroked his chin and sighed heavily. His greying stubble felt rough under his fingers as he met Kylo's unwavering gaze. "We now know where he is. I'm going out there to confront him, Ben. Well…not just me…Chewie's coming with me. And I think you should come, too."

"Like hell I will. I don't give a damn what Skywalker has to say!"

"I know you're angry, Ben…"

"Am I angry? No. I'm bitter and that's worse. Angry is over fast, bitter lasts." Kylo snapped.

Han nodded in understanding. "I'm not going to confront Luke just for your sake, Ben." He admitted. "I'm doing it for me." His jaw flexed as he tried to keep his emotions under control. "Your mother needs to hear the truth from Luke, it's the only way she'll be convinced. She's not listening to me."

"He'll only try to justify his actions with some kind of twisted logic." Kylo's despair was a heavy blackness. The notion of hope was meaningless, he shouldn't have let his mind linger on such ideas, they start to feel like cruel tricks. He had been holding onto the faint hope that Leia might actually believe him-her actual son-for once. But Han's revelation had killed that hope forever. "It's pointless. I've always been disposable as far as she is concerned."

Han's eyes tightened with pain. "You don't really believe that, Ben. Leia loves you."

"Her love always came with conditions. I was nothing but a set of expectations, a legacy for her. I failed to live up to all of them…. and that's what she can never forgive." Kylo said in defeat. "Go and confront Skywalker if it makes you feel better…but I promise you, it won't change anything."

Rey was lost. She huffed out a frustrated breath when she found herself in the exact same place she had started from. The Raddus seemed like a maze of endless corridors. She tried to calm her frazzled mind and think logically. If she could just ask someone for directions that would be great, but everyone was so busy dismantling the base, that she felt awkward approaching them. Just as she was about to give up and head back to the Falcon, her saviour rolled into view. As soon as BB-8 spotted her, his dome head perked up, and he greeted her with a series of excitable beeps and high whistles.

"BB-8, you don't know how glad I am to see you." Rey said in relief as she dropped to her knees and hugged the little astromech. BB-8 let out a high-pitched whistle of pleasure in response, before he asked about Ben Solo. "He's with Han." Rey said, finally releasing him. She was about to say more when they were interrupted by an elegant looking woman walking toward them from the opposite end of the corridor. She was wrapped in a long grey cape, her hair wound in a complicated braid at the back of her head. Rey recognised her at once as Ben's mother-they shared the same warm brown eyes. She hastily pushed herself back onto her feet, feeling embarrassed at being caught hugging a droid.

Leia regarded her thoughtfully for a few seconds before she spoke. "You're Rey?" She said cautiously, extending her hand in greeting. "I've been waiting to meet you."

Rey took Leia's hand nervously and shook it. She knew she must look a mess. Her hair was wind blown and tangled from riding the speeder. Her clothes and boots were streaked with dirt from her recent excursions in the rainforest. "Yes, I'm Rey." She murmured.

"Rey….?" Leia waited for her to reveal her full name.

Rey felt her cheeks grow warm with embarrassment. "Its just Rey."

"Oh." Leia's eyes widened slightly in surprise. Han had mentioned the girl, but hadn't revealed much more than her first name. "Well, Rey, I'm Leia…Ben's mother."

"Yes." Rey murmured again. She wasn't prepared for this encounter. She clasped her hands behind her back to stop them shaking. It was one thing meeting Han, but General Leia Organa Solo, was on a whole other level. The former princess, turned rebel leader, senator, and now a general in the Resistance, was an intimidating presence, despite her small stature.

"Would you walk with me, Rey." Leia asked.

Rey wasn't sure it was a request that she could turn down. She nodded, her fingers interlacing tightly behind her back as she began to follow Leia back down the corridor. She was relieved when BB-8 took it upon himself to follow them. The little droid's presence was comforting and Rey didn't feel so alone. As they strolled in the direction of the main bridge, Leia made casual conversation to try and put Rey at ease.

When they reached the bridge, Leia motioned for Rey to sit, while she made a fresh pot of Caf.' While she went about her task, she kept up the flow of causal questions. She would say something-Rey followed with a pretended interested response, just to keep the conversation going. She said something about BB-8. Leia laughed politely. The conversation was superficial, awkward.

"You are really not what I expected." Leia said eventually as she poured the some of the freshly brewed Caf' into a cup, before offering it to Rey.

"Oh." Rey didn't know what she was expected to say to that. She cradled the warm cup in her hands, glad to have something to hold on to. "What were you expecting?"

"I don't know, really." Leia settled down in the seat opposite Rey. "You are so young. How old are you?"

"I'm nineteen." Rey lifted the cup to her lips and took a sip. The hot liquid burned the roof of her mouth and she winced.

"You need to let it cool." Leia advised her with a small smile.

"I don't normally drink Caf.'" Rey mumbled as she pushed the cup away from her.

"I expect you didn't come across it that much on Jakku." Leia said carefully.

"No." Rey responded curtly.

Leia felt she had overstepped the mark. She paused, taking a delicate sip of her own drink as she tried to retrieve the conversation. She was desperate to find out about this young scavenger's opinion of Ben. Rey was certainly pretty, if pitifully thin. Leia couldn't imagine the harsh life she had to endure living on that godforsaken planet. "I'm sorry if my questions are making you feel uncomfortable." She apologised. "Its just been so long since I've seen my son…and you've spent so much time with him."

Rey was slightly mollified by Leia's sincere apology, but still bemused at what the older woman expected from her. "I've only known Ben a short while."

"You call him Ben?" Leia said in surprise.

"Yes." Rey's eyes flicked nervously to BB-8 when he emitted a low whistle.

"You know of his previous affiliation with the First Order?" Leia pressed.

Rey's hackles were raised at once. She stood up abruptly, her expression closing off. "If you will excuse me, General Organa, I really should find my friend."

"Rey, please, sit down. Despite what you think, this is not an interrogation." Leia sighed, motioning for Rey to take a seat.

"It certainly feels like it." Rey retorted.

"I didn't mean to make you feel that way. I simply want to try and get a better understanding of my son and I hoped you would be the best person to help me. We've been estranged for a long while. I suspect if your mother was in my position, she would want the same."

"I don't remember my mother." Rey remained standing as she stared at a spot above Leia's head.

"She died?" Leia questioned softly.

"She'll come back for me. One day." Rey answered stiffly. "They both will."

"Oh, my poor child. Your parents abandoned you, didn't they?" Leia's voice was full of sorrow which only intensified Rey's agony.

"I don't need your pity." She said through gritted teeth.

Leia rose gracefully to her feet. "Rey, I'm handling this very badly. I promise you that I don't pity you…. I just feel sad for you."

Rey's eyes shifted to the side again and became glazed with a glassy layer of tears. She blinked them away and stood irresolute. Her lower lip quivered as words slowly made their way out of her mouth. "Ben is the most understanding and gentle person I've ever met." She said after she had regained her composure. "If you don't see that…then I feel sad for you." She countered, throwing Leia's words back at her.

Leia sank into her chair, her face a mixture of sadness and shock, as Rey turned and walked away from her, with the ever-loyal BB-8 following hot on her heels.

A/N-thanks for reading! Please review.