Halo

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to their respective owners.

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

Chapter Forty-Eight-Timing

It was time. The time Rey knew would come sooner or later but dreaded was here. She had to say farewell to Rose. The pain Rey carried in her chest was inexplicable. She knew her friend was in safe hands. Finn had arrived to offer emotional support to Rose as they parted ways once again. It hurt to say goodbye. As she embraced the young engineer, Rey wished she could hold on and keep her friend by her side for a longer time. The precious few hours she had spent laughing, crying, and reminiscing with Rose had reminded Rey just how much she missed having female companionship. She hoped that time and distance wouldn't cause them to drift apart. Rey had managed to maintain few friendships in her life, that she clung tightly to the ones she had made since leaving Jakku.

"Hold onto the memories, Rey." Rose said, her eyes brimming with tears. "I hope you find your happiness out there."

"We'll see each other again." Rey had never learned to cry with style. The pearl-shaped tears rolled down her cheeks from wide luminous eyes.

"Promise?" Rose's lower lip trembled and her shoulders heaved with emotion.

"I promise." Rey blinked black her tears; her thick lashes stuck together in clumps as if she had been swimming underwater.

Finn had tried to remain immune to all the fraught emotions flying about the room but he couldn't take it anymore as he felt his own eyes welling up with moisture. "C'mere." He muttered as he gathered both girls up into a comforting bear hug.

While Rey was having an emotional goodbye with her friends, on the other side of the base the atmosphere remained frosty between mother and son. Leia and Ben had retreated to opposite ends of the primary command bridge as they awaited Rey's return. Leia glanced often at her son's rigid back. He was turned away from her, his hands clasped behind his back as he stared out of the ship's viewscreen at Anoat's hellish atmosphere. It was the time of day when every sensible creature sought shelter inside when the polluted planet's unpredictable weather systems unleashed one of its toxic rain storms on Anoat's beleaguered surface. Lightening lit the skies in brilliant streaks. The wind ran as if it has been restrained for time out of mind and it was determined to outrun any chaser. Carnage ensued, trees writhing and flailing, their groans of pain carried away by the wind.

Leia poured some Caf' into an empty cup. She lifted the cup, inhaling the heady aroma of her favourite drink. Without conscious thought she raised the cup to her lips, the first milky sip crept over her taste-buds and down her throat. After only a few minutes she was bathing in the kick of the caffeine. She turned to offer some to Ben but the words died on her lips when she noticed his whole posture had changed. Where he was tense, he now appeared relaxed. While she had been preoccupied, he had left his post at the viewscreen and was now standing in front of the closed doors as if eagerly anticipating someone's arrival. Leia was intrigued by the small smile playing about his lips. His resemblance to Han in that moment was striking and made her breath hitch. Then just like that the doors slid open revealing Rey on the other side.

It took a minute for Leia to regain her composure at Rey's unexpected appearance. How had Ben known that she was going to arrive at that exact moment? Intrigued, Leia moved nearer, observing them closely as she watched Ben's hand reach out to comfort the distressed young scavenger. His fingers landed in Rey's hair, he stroked the soft strands soothingly until her breathing slowed and her tears had stopped, leaving only their tell-tale wet tracks down her face. Leia felt she was witnessing something intimate and very special. They were doing minimal touching, but the look in their eyes…Ben's most of all. He was gazing deep into Rey's eyes like a man transfixed, as if everything else surrounding him was just a blur and nothing else existed for him but Rey.

Leia averted her gaze. It was like she had been blind and now she could see. Was Ben right when he said she had forgotten how to love? Feeling quite shaken at this newfound knowledge and the intense intimacy she had just witnessed between her son and the young scavenger, Leia reached for the steaming pot of Caf' and poured herself another cup. The air was thick with the scent of caffeine, but where she had once found comfort in the heady aroma, she now felt sickened. She pushed the Caf' to one side and reached for a glass instead and filled it with water from the pitcher.

"Ben said you wanted to speak to me again."

Rey's voice coming from behind startled Leia. The glass of water slipped from her nerveless fingers and it shattered at her feet. Rey immediately ducked down to pick up the broken shards of glass but Leia snapped at her to leave them alone. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Ben glaring at her with stormy eyes. As for Rey, her lips were pressed together as if to stop herself from issuing a retort.

"Forgive me. I didn't mean to be rude." Leia apologised curtly as she gestured toward one of the empty chairs. "It can be cleared away later. Please sit."

"I'd rather stand." Rey replied as she matched Leia's brusque tone.

"As you wish." Leia was irritated because this meant that she would be forced to stand as well. Her legs felt like spaghetti. She held onto the edge of the table for support when she felt herself sway on her feet. "I was wondering if you've had the chance to reconsider my offer."

Almost at once Leia saw the young scavenger's eyes flick to Ben's which only served to increase her irritation. "You don't need my son's permission to stay, Rey. Ben and I have already discussed it."

Leia heard Rey's breath catch in her throat. She was still looking at Ben, pain forming in her eyes. Leia noted the subtle shake of Ben's head in response, if she hadn't been watching so closely, she would have missed the whole interaction. There was a slight tremor of emotion in Rey's lips. Just this small thing formed a whole picture of how she was feeling which Leia comprehended in an instant and with full depth. Rey was deeply hurt, thinking that Ben was going to leave her behind. He hadn't been lying when he said how deeply this would affect the young woman.

Even though it was mere seconds, it was like time had stopped. Leia continued to watch in stunned silence as Ben's brown eyes grew warm and soft. Like Rey, Leia became caught up in their light. His eyes were beautiful, it wasn't about the colour or shape, it was about the sweet loving essence that was so clearly there as he looked at Rey.

Time sped up again and Rey turned to face Leia, her expression full of quiet confidence. "My answer remains the same, General Organa. I will not change my mind."

"Are you sure about this?" Ben asked.

"I'm sure." Rey responded firmly. There was no doubt in her tone.

Soft wisps of her brunette hair swept past an ear and caressed the skin of her neck, jaw, cheeks and around her rather beautiful, deep eyes. Those hazel eyes rimmed with thick, long, dark lashes that brushed her cheeks every time she closed her eyes, seemed to bore into Ben every time he looked into them and nearly lost himself. He reached for her, drawing her into his embrace, cradling her against his chest, cherishing the feel of her arms slipping around his waist.

The storm had subsided now which meant they could finally leave the base and return to the Falcon. Only a light rain was left behind. There was something so heavenly about a kiss in the rain. In the rain Ben's hair became one with his face, wetly draped over the bone structure that drove Rey out of her mind. His expression was serious. Rey wondered if he knew how crazy that made her, how it made her want to feel every inch of his skin. Rey pulled his hand away as he was about to use it to wipe his hair out of his face. She smiled as Ben rolled his eyes in the way he did when he was really happy but feeling too macho to show it. They kissed. Everything melted away as if they had been transported somewhere heavenly and perhaps if it weren't for the cold rain, which was increasing in intensity again, Rey might have believed they had.

Slowly, hand in hand, they made their way back to the Millennium Falcon where they found Han, Chewie and BB-8 waiting for them.

Leia looked up at Poe when he called her name. Really looked up at him as if just noticing him for the first time. She noticed the way his eyebrows raised a centimetre or two, lined with something between worry and concern as he looked back at her. She was in a meeting with him and the other officers as they discussed moving from the base on Anoat to a more permanent one on Ajan Kloss.

"General Organa?" Poe asked as he reached out to steady her when she swayed on her feet.

Leia blinked, suddenly it was Ben standing in front of her and not Poe. She stared at the illusionary image of her son and in her heart, she retracted all the bad things she ever said to him, they were never a reflection on him, only on her own inner demons. He had worked so hard and she only saw what he could not do. In the permanent fatigue that had plagued her body ever since he had left the base with Rey, Leia slowly began to unravel. In her misplaced entitlement she had given Ben only passive aggressive rage, she had withdrawn from him emotionally to punish him and in doing so became self-absorbed and cold. Now he was gone, fled with the only people who gave him hugs instead of cold stares, acceptance and not demands, respect and never condemnation. Leia's breath came in short bursts as she placed a hand over her aching heart.

"General Organa."

Leia blinked again at the sound of her name and Ben's face disappeared to be replaced with Poe's again.

"Are you well? You've gone very pale." Poe said again in concern. "We can postpone this meeting until later if you need to rest."

Leia stared up at Poe in anguish before pushing his hands away as he tried to help her. Soon she was running, cursing her age as her steps faltered. She plunged into the rain, the pitter patter of tiny droplets creating a shield around her. The silver puddles created an obstacle course and her soft boots slid dangerously on the muddy ground in her haste to reach the Falcon to stop them leaving. But she was too late. They were already gone.

A single tear slid down from Leia's sad, brown eyes, followed by another one, and another one, until soon, a steady stream of salty tears flowed their way down her pale cheeks, releasing the sadness and sorrow that had been held inside of her for all this time. Leia remained in the same position for some time, her hair and clothes becoming saturated with water. The rain had turned cold, freezing and paling her skin on contact.

Leia Organa Solo-once a senator, a princess and leader of the Rebel Alliance, now a general in the Resistance-straightened up to her full height and composed her features back into a commanding expression as she buried her emotions deep down inside. Then, with head held high, she walked slowly back to the base.

A/N-thanks for reading! Please review.