Halo

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A/N-thank you very for the kind reviews.

Chapter Fifty-Sparring

Rey could hear the intensity in Ben's voice as he talked. They had been sparring on and off for the last hour, with him gently guiding and steering her movements when her frustration at her many mistakes began to boil over. She was an impatient pupil but he was a surprisingly patient teacher.

"Your body is built for movement." Ben explained. "See the flexible spine." He ran his fingers lightly down her back, causing a tremor of desire to ripple through Rey's body. She tried to concentrate on his words but struggled when he was so close.

"And those arms that want to mark out a beat. Feel those feet that need to leap, to get some air time." Ben continued, oblivious to the effect he was having on her.

"You make it sound like a dance." Rey winced at her high-pitched tone as she tried to disguise how flustered she was feeling around him.

Ben smiled as he used the pads of his fingers to rub light circles on her shoulder blade in an effort to relax her. "I suppose in a way it is. But in this dance, you know your own steps, yet not your partners. You need to pre-empt their movements, always thinking ahead."

Rey's lips formed into a smirk. "You mean like this?" Her booted foot shot out, curling around his ankle, pulling him off balance.

Ben teetered on his heels for a second but soon regained his equilibrium. "Sneaky." He said, his hand reaching for his saber.

Rey narrowed her eyes as she focused her attention on Ben, letting the force flow through her mind and body. She waited until he made the first move. When he charged toward her; his own weapon raised to strike hers, she was ready for him. Rey kicked out, the heel of her boot hitting his solar plexus and sending him staggering backwards.

"Impressive." Ben complimented her, his breath paling in the numbing air.

"I try." Rey answered with a teasing smile.

They began to spar in earnest. The cold of Kijmi's frigid atmosphere moved to meet the warmth of Rey's blood, her defence against such ice. She felt it wash over her skin, again and again, only to be met by the beat of her heart, as she fought furiously against Ben. She knew, as hard as it was, that so long as she kept moving, implementing the lessons he had taught her, she'd win this time. Ben wasn't holding back and neither was she.

Ben used the same manoeuvre she had tried on him at the start of the fight. She wobbled as he slid forward, ducking her slicing blade, as he hooked his foot around her ankle and yanked her off balance. Rey scowled when she was forced to do a quick back-flip as she sought to maintain her balance.

"Focus, Rey." Ben advised her. "Don't let your frustration consume you. That's when you make mistakes."

Rey's hair was like a second skin over her cheeks and she looked like she had been caught in a sudden storm. Her skin had a glossy sheen to it as did Ben's. As she kept moving the sweat was a welcome addition, cooling and helping her to feel like she had worked hard; it's only when her feet came to a stop that the freezing wind showed her just how wet her clothing had become. She trembled violently and as soon as Ben noticed he called a halt to the day's lesson.

"I'm fine." Rey said through gritted teeth as her competitive streak pushed her to keep going.

"I love your passion, Rey." Ben's voice was deep and soothing. "You need to rest. You're exhausted and so am I. Your connection becomes stronger every day. Can you feel it?"

"Yes."

"Now reach out with your mind and try to relax." Ben coaxed her gently.

Rey inhaled through her nose and sent her awareness into the void. Peace and calm were key. She reached, she searched, she felt the icy breeze on her cheeks, she smelled loamy soil, damp from the recent snowfall, and something else…when Ben's booted foot shot out, curling around her lower ankle, to pull her off balance again, she was ready.

Pulling off a neat backflip, Rey did a countermove, swinging one arm out and looping it around Ben's neck, using the trajectory of her sudden move to trip him up. He fell onto his back, the deep snow cushioning the blow from his fall as Rey landed on top of him. She straddled his body, laughing at the stunned look on his face. "I was pre-empting your move." She teased.

Ben's heart ached when he saw her bright smile. He loved that it was directed at him. Only him. He loved being the source of those lit eyes and dimpled cheeks. Rey brought so much happiness to those around her. Ben bathed in the warmth of her smile. She had shown him how to find beauty in a cruel world. She was trying so hard and doing so well during their training sessions. She worked hard and he was immensely proud of her. She wanted to fly and now she was practically soaring. He was attracted to her with the kind of heady trance that brings a butterfly to nectar. Rey, quite simply, was the kindest and most reliable person he had ever met. Reliable didn't mean that he didn't adore her with a fiery passion, because he did. For him reliability was the cornerstone of trust and he trusted Rey with his life. He was never more calm, more whole, or healthier than when she was by his side.

Ben knew that once he kissed that special spot on her neck that Rey's resistance would crumble. After just a few delicate touches of his warm lips her hands started to do his bidding. They fell down his back as her head began to swim, all previous thoughts stopped in their tracks. Now there was only one desire, one wish, and they both knew it was just a matter of time before it happened.

"Rey 1, Ben Solo 0." BB-8 chirped loudly in his binary language.

When Rey began to clamber off him, Ben groaned in aggravation. He glared at the little astromech who had quietly been keeping score during their training session. He had become so lost in Rey that he had forgotten that BB-8 was even there. "Whose side are you on?" Ben complained to the oblivious droid as he climbed back onto his feet.

"Technically I have no sides." BB-8 beeped. "I am a BB unit with a selenium drive and thermal hyper scan vindicator- "

Ben smirked at the little orange and white droid. Maybe BB-8 wasn't so oblivious after all.

"You look a bit flushed, son." Han quipped when he saw the heightened colour on Ben's cheeks when he came inside.

"So would you if you had just finished an energetic training session." Ben muttered as he grabbed a fresh towel and ran it over his sweat soaked hair.

"Is that what the kids are calling it these days?" Han smirked.

Ben gave his father a death glare. BB-8's dome head swivelled back and forth as he looked up at them with interest. "He lost again." He said to Han.

"Figures." Han gave Ben one of his lopsided grins.

This time it was BB-8 who received the benefit of Ben's death glare. "It wasn't a competition." He raised his forefinger in frustration. "It was a training session." He emphasised the word training with a swipe of the same forefinger.

Han chuckled. "Where's the kid?" He asked. "Maybe she can settle this argument."

"She's freshening up." Ben muttered as he combed his fingers through the inky black strands of his hair. "Any news on when the Falcon will be ready?" He continued as a way to change the subject.

"I'm hoping by tomorrow night. Chewie has gone to check in with Zorii. He'll have more news when he gets back." Han revealed.

"Good." Ben huffed out a frustrated sigh as he looked around at their less than stellar surroundings. Zorii hadn't been exaggerating when she said that her father's old residence was a dilapidated ruin. The derelict building clung to the hillside scree, stubbornly refusing to die. The walls were no more than the same rock and dirt they stood on, yet storm after storm failed to return them to the earth. They were a refuge for rogue travellers like themselves who sometimes passed through the area and a haven for small birds. Still, he shouldn't complain, it had provided them with temporary shelter when they needed it. He returned his attention to Han. "Do you still want to head to Pasaana to check in with Lando when we leave here?" He asked.

"That was the plan." Han said cautiously. "Why?"

Ben paused for a second before answering. "I was hoping we could make a detour."

"To where?"

"Jakku."

Han's eyebrows shot upwards but to his credit he kept his cool. "Why would you want to go back there?"

Ben lowered his voice. "For Rey." He glanced over his shoulder to make sure she wasn't anywhere within hearing distance. "She's been having nightmares."

Han frowned. "Yeah, I've heard the kid crying in her sleep once or twice. This is about her parents?" He guessed.

"Yeah." Ben nodded, sighing again. "We made a pact."

"What pact?"

"The details are not important but I've fulfilled my end, I think its times she did hers."

"Have you spoken to her about this?" Han questioned.

"I've tried, but Rey's stubborn. She says she's not ready."

"Then you should listen to her. Why are you pushing this?" Han demanded sharply.

"Because I know her. What she says and what she really means are two different things."

"Ben, this is not a good idea." Han cautioned him. "This could backfire badly on you if it goes wrong."

"Not knowing the truth is torturing her. I can't bear to see her in so much pain. Rey needs answers. And Jakku is a good place to start. I'm going to confront that villain Plutt and force him to tell us exactly what he knows."

A/N-thanks for reading! Please review.