Halo
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A/N-thank you very much for the kind reviews on the last chapter.
Chapter Forty-Three-Ambush
Few people knew that Chewbacca had a mushy heart under his warrior exterior. Known for his great strength, bravery and loyalty, he often served as Han's conscience in their smuggling endeavours, which made people trust him more than they did Han. However, he was also known for his stubbornness and dislike of losing. He would also show no qualms about using violence as a means to achieve his goals, but he certainly never killed without a good reason. The one thing that had kept him going through the last few years of his life was the deep friendship he maintained with Han, which included the extended Solo family. He loved them as if they were his own. Losing Ben to the darkside had affected Chewie just as much as Han. To see father and son reunited was a blessing that the secretly sentimental Wookie thought was just an impossible dream. Now his surrogate nephew was back and Chewie had the pleasure of watching Ben fall in love just like Han had with Leia. And just like he had mercilessly teased Han about his feelings for a certain princess back in the day, the incorrigible Wookie was getting a kick out of doing the same to Han's offspring. Watching Ben fumble in his attempts to woo the young scavenger was a constant source of entertainment and Chewie was enjoying every minute.
Chewie persuaded the very reluctant would-be lovers to sit cross-legged on the floor so that they were facing each other. "All Wookie's believe the eyes are the windows to the soul. Our eyes don't lie: they show the truth, no matter what face we put on, in any situation. The best way to get to know someone is to look them in the eyes and observe what they reveal about their emotional state. Our eyes, just like our body language, give us away, and they say more than we ever could with words. As a matter of fact, most of the information Wookie's convey is through nonverbal language, which ranges from simple looks to all of the movements we make." He lectured in Shyriiwook.
Ben huffed out an impatient breath. "This is ridiculous." He complained to Rey telepathically. "We're not Wookie's."
"Just humour him. He's just trying to help." Rey answered in an attempt to soothe Ben's frazzled nerves. The truth was she was enjoying getting a sneak peek into the Wookie's mating rituals. She thought the way they communicated their non-verbal attraction to each other was quite romantic in its own way. You could lie with words but your eyes would always reveal the truth.
Chewie was just warming up. "Wookie's believe when you meet someone for the first time your eyes can convey a wide range of feelings: trust or distrust, security, contentment, fear, and so on. We know this is true because it happens every day: it's as if we were capable of transcending our bodily limits and reaching the other's soul through their eyes."
"Next he's going to tell us to stare deep in each other's eyes." Ben said sarcastically to Rey as he pre-emptied what Chewie was about to say.
"Now look into each other's eyes."
"Told you."
"Hush." Rey quietened him. "I'm trying to listen. I can't hear with you complaining in my head. I'm finding this so fascinating."
"Really?" Ben asked in disbelief. He let out a startled yell when his surrogate uncle cuffed him on the back of the head to pay attention.
"Look into Rey's eyes." Chewie ordered.
"I'm looking. I'm looking." Ben muttered resentfully as he rubbed the back of his head. He carefully focused his gaze on Rey. She was biting her lip, eyes everywhere but on him. Sensing her sudden nerves, Ben moved closer, completely forgetting about Chewie, he looked deeply into her eyes. "Hey, it's me."
Rey's breathing became softer, the pensive look melting into a smile as soft as the morning light. Her body squirmed just a little as her muscles relaxed. There was something about that gaze of his she knew she would never find in another man, as if in that moment their souls have made a bridge. That's all they ever needed to really connect, just eyes, no words. From afar Ben's eyes looked brown, but as he shifted closer, she noticed the colour of honey. They were bright and liquid warm, sprinkled with light brown specks, framed by beautiful thick lashes. Rey felt her breathing quicken again as she paused, noting the power behind those breath-taking eyes. The power as reckless as a tornado. His eyes flashed. For a moment they looked golden with warmth... and then his lips were engulfing hers.
"The soul can speak through the eyes, and kiss with a look. That concludes the lesson for today, kids." Chewie laughed to himself as he made a quick exit. He heard Han coming up the ramp and went to meet him. His amusement quickly died when he caught his first glimpse of his friend. While Ben and Rey were in the first flush of love, Han's was clearly at an end. Chewie felt a sharp pain in his chest as he made eye-contact with Han and saw the heartbreak in his eyes. Chewie looked away; he couldn't bear it. Instead he lumbered back inside the Falcon and went straight for their stash of Corellian whisky. When he resurfaced, he found Han sitting slumped at the top of the ramp with his head in his hands. Sitting down heavily next to Han, Chewbacca poured them both a generous shot of the strong whisky into two glasses. Mutely, he passed one to the devastated man next to him.
Han's hand shook slightly as he closed his fingers around the glass. "Ben?" He asked gruffly.
"Is fully occupied right now. We won't be disturbed." Chewie promised in Shyriiwook. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Han shook his head as he threw his head back and drained the glass. He held it out for Chewie to fill up again. The two old friends didn't speak as they drank the whisky and watched the sun set in the sky as fresh colours brushed upon an artist's canvas, as if those rays were destined to create a great work of art - one given to those open to capturing simple moments in the soul.
"Wow." Rey's voice wavered, exhilarated from the tension between them.
Ben gently leaned in and kissed Rey again. His lips brushed hers. Not innocently, like a tease but hot, fiery, passionate and demanding. They pulled apart, taking shaky, shallow breaths. Unable to hold back for long, Ben held Rey's head in his hands and pulled her into another fiery and passionate kiss. Her hands worked their way around his body, feeling each crevasse, each line along his perfect physique. Likewise, Ben's hands ventured over her soft curves, exploring. They pulled apart again just to breathe and opened their eyes. They stared at each other, deep into each other's eyes. Ben's full of wonder and love, Rey's full of curiosity and passion. No words were spoken but their feelings were communicated just the same.
Ben kissed her and the world fell away. This time it was slow and soft, comforting in ways that words would never be. His hand rested below her ear, his thumb caressing her cheek as their breaths mingled. Rey ran her fingers down his spine, pulling him closer until there was no space left between them and she could feel the beating of his heart against her chest.
Maybe Chewie was right all along-Wookie's really were the most romantic species in the galaxy after all.
Ben hadn't seen his father return to the ship-he had been preoccupied with other things. Han and Chewie were sleeping in and he decided not to disturb them. He sat in the Falcon's cockpit, smiling to himself as he thought about his magical night with Rey. They hadn't ventured beyond kissing and holding each other, though they both knew it was only a matter of time before they took it further. And it would be somewhere much more romantic and definitely out of earshot of his father and his devious Wookie companion. Ben knew that Chewie hadn't been oblivious as he made out, but he wasn't mad at his surrogate uncle, in fact he wanted to thank him. His advice worked after all.
Rose had contacted Rey out of the blue, asking if she could come to the base before they left so they could catch up with one another. Rey had happily agreed and had eagerly set off to meet her friend still drunk from Ben's kisses. Ben was missing her already. He idled the time away while she was gone by doing pre-flight checks. BB-8 kept him company, though Ben thought the little astromech seemed uncharacteristically subdued. It made him wonder what had gone down between his parents. He tried not to dwell on it, but the longer he remained on his own, the more he began to brood. Feeling restless, he left the cockpit and wandered around the ship. Han and Chewie were still not awake and when he accidentally stumbled on the empty bottles of Corellian whisky he understood why. If his father had drowned his sorrows in drink it must have been bad. Ben felt anger swell in chest toward his mother and he threw one of the empty bottles at the opposite wall. It shattered into pieces and Ben became upset at his loss of control. He glanced down in shame at BB-8 as the little droid began to try and clear up the shards of glass.
"The sooner we get out of here the better." Ben muttered. He hunkered down beside BB-8 and began to pick up the larger pieces of broken glass. BB-8 let out a low whistle of agreement as they continued to work together to clear up the mess in companionable silence.
When Rey arrived at the meeting point inside the base, instead of Rose, she only found Ben's mother. She immediately knew she had been duped into coming there on her own. There was no way she would have willingly come to talk to the Resistance General otherwise. Instantly on her guard, Rey looked at Leia warily. "I was expecting Rose." She said carefully.
"And you'll see her soon enough." Leia promised with a small smile. The smile didn't reach her eyes. She adjusted her grey cape tighter around her petite frame as she studied Rey critically. "I think its time you and I talked."
"I have nothing to say." Rey replied sharply.
"But I have plenty." Leia's response was equally as sharp. "So, I suggest you sit down, young lady. This could take some time."
A/N-thanks for reading! Please review.