Halo

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

Chapter Fifty-Three-A Shocking Find

Being back on Jakku dredged up painful memories for Rey. As soon as she felt the dry desert heat blistering her skin when she walked down the Falcon's opened ramp, she wanted to turn around and run right back inside the comforting confines of the ship. It was only her hand clinging tightly to Ben's that stopped her. Those painful memories were books with chapters, deep and horrible; and so, she decided to leave them on the shelf to gather dust. It was a coping mechanism. If she was able to choose when to pick them up if she needed to learn something, to gain a perspective that helped her move forward, at least it meant she was in control. Utilizing those memories, using them to her advantage to re-see situations through the lens of their needs and traumas rather than her own. She wanted today, tomorrow and every day after to be wonderful; she wanted to choose what to write on those blank pages.

Ben could feel everything she was feeling. Rey hid nothing from him. "You've got this." He promised, squeezing her fingers reassuringly. "You're not alone."

Rey put on a fake smile. It wasn't for Ben's benefit. He knew it wasn't real. The reason she did this was to hide her pain from the others. She knew how concerned they were about her. She sensed Han and Chewie's worried eyes on her. Even little BB-8 was more jittery than usual as he emitted the occasional anxious beep.

Niima Outpost hadn't changed. Rey felt like she had never left. The junkyard settlement was still bustling with scavengers, many of whom did a double-take when they recognized Rey and even more so when their startled gazes landed on her companions. Chewie was a commanding presence all on on his own-his hairy seven foot something frame was enough to intimidate anyone-but Ben, striding purposefully on the Wookie's right, was proving to have as much of an overawing effect as Chewbacca. Ben had the kind of face that stopped people in their tracks. He was used to that, the sudden pause in a person's natural expression when they looked his way, followed by overcompensating as they tried to hastily stifle their overt admiration at the sight of such a handsome man. Ben, modest to a fault about his looks, took their curious stares the wrong way and he glared at them threateningly, making them quickly cower under his steely gaze.

Han exchanged an amused glance with Rey as they made their way toward the concession stand where the scavengers brought their finds in exchange for supplies from Unkar Plutt, who operated from the center of an awning-roofed blockhouse. As they drew nearer, they could hear Plutt's gruff baritone ringing out as he berated a young scavenger about his meagre haul. "NO portions today. This stuff is worthless. Stop wasting my time."

As the cruel sun beat down on top of her head, Rey could feel her anger rising to match it. She shaded her eyes with her hand as she peered in the Crolute's direction. Like many of his kind, Plutt was a hulking specimen. His gelatinous body tissue sagged unsettlingly from his bulky body, his flipper like feet were stuffed into a standard pair of humanoid boots, and he was dressed in scrappy battle-armour. He was unaware of the trouble coming his way as he continued to berate the hapless young scavenger boy in front of him.

Without being aware of what she was doing, Rey's hand closed around the hilt of her lightsaber. Anger, pain, sadness - so intertwined were her emotions that she couldn't think straight. She was lost in the past, she didn't see the scrawny teenage boy cowering in front of Plutt, she only saw herself. How often had she been in the same position when she was little, standing half-starved in front of the brutish junk boss, begging for scraps. Ben only became aware of her intentions at the last minute. Before he had a chance to stop her, Rey had ignited her saber and was charging toward Plutt, her pretty features twisted into a feral snarl.

All rationale had completely left Rey. The shimmering blue blade of her saber came powering down, ready to cleave Unkar Plutt's head from his body. Her aim was strong and true but was deflected at the last possible second by Ben's weapon. There was a shower of red and blue sparks as their blades connected. Plutt let out an undignified grunt of fear as he scrambled away from the clashing lightsabers. The gaunt looking teenage scavenger boy scarpered, not willing to stay around and await the outcome of the fight.

"Rey!" Ben's voice telepathically invaded Rey's mind as he tried to pierce the red mist of her rage. "Stand down! This is not the way."

Rey scowled ferociously at him as her arm shot out and she used the Force to blast him backwards. Ben landed heavily a few feet away, the soft sand cushioning his fall. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Han and Chewie running toward Rey-the Wookie was in the lead, with Han following breathlessly in his wake. Ben was faster than either of them. He quickly regained his footing and sprinted back to Rey, calling upon the Force to pull the legacy saber out of her grasp before she actually followed through on killing Plutt. Ben could feel through their bond just how lived Rey was in her righteous anger, so lost in the moment and the torment her brain was in.

How many times in his life had he been in the exact same position?

Too many to count.

How often had he wished he had someone to stop him before he completely unraveled and spiraled out of control?

All the time.

A battle of wills ensued. Ben continued to attempt to pull her lightsaber toward him. Tension built in Rey's face as she refused to give it up. In the end the pressure of the Force from both users proved to be too much and to their twin horror the weapon split in two.

While Rey sobbed in Ben's arms, filled with shame at what she had done, BB-8 carefully gathered up the shattered remains of the broken saber. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." She gasped; her eyes glimmered with water as she cried an ocean of tears. There was static in her head. She could hear her own sounds, like a distressed child, raw from the inside. It was taking something out of her she didn't know she had left to give. It was a response to how much she had buried inside. It was coming out now, in the most brutal way, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

As he held her tightly to the contours of his body, Ben could feel the deep, emotional pain swirling in her brain. "Its not your fault." He told her again and again. "Sometimes we do things because our emotions are driving us that way... all those things that hurt you, sweetheart, I wish I could take all the pain away."

Ben stroked her hair and her breathing slowed. Eventually her tears stopped, leaving only their tell-tale wet tracks down her face. He could soothe her like no-one else. Rey closed her eyes and buried her face against his chest as she matched her breathing to his, slow and steady.

Unkar Plutt was trapped between the seething Wookie and an equally enraged Han Solo. He held his hands up in front of his face to shield it from the weapons pointed in his face. He didn't know which was worse-decapitation from a lightsaber, a blaster bolt to the face, or to the heart from the Wookie's wicked looking bowcaster.

"What do you want from me?" He grunted in fear.

"The truth." Han demanded as he took the safety off his blaster. "So, you better start talking. And you better make it quick. I'm well known for my itchy trigger finger."

Plutt broke out into a cold sweat. By the fire glowing in Han's eyes, he could well believe it. His eyes darted nervously to Chewbacca and he gulped in fear. There was nothing more frightening then an angry Wookie. "Yes. I'll tell you. Anything. Just don't kill me." He pleaded as he sank onto his knees in front of them.

The desert at twilight was a vast undulating sea, punctuated by the shadowy silhouettes of the shabby buildings dotted around Niima outpost. Rey was feeling calmer now. Ben's devotion continued to amaze her. While Han and Chewie continued their interrogation of Plutt on her behalf, Ben had held her in his arms for hours, soothing her with his unique brand of comfort. He gently rubbed the tears away with his fingers when she began to cry again. The simple touch of affection sent a wave of butterflies coursing through her veins, their fluttering wings easing the dread that had settled in her stomach like a lead weight.

The door to the concession stand opened and Han and Chewie emerged into the soft glowing light from the sky as the suns dipped below the horizon. Immediately Rey and Ben zeroed in on the non-descript box that Chewie was carrying. It was reminiscent of the one that had housed Anakin's saber in the vaults of Takodana castle.

"What's that?" Rey asked Han tremulously.

Han's face was grave when he answered. "Your parents left it behind." He explained, his tone gentle. "They gave it to Plutt for safekeeping."

"Have you looked inside?" Ben questioned his father as his fingers tightened around Rey's.

"No." Han motioned for Chewie to put the box down onto the ground in front of Rey. "This is for the kid's eyes only." He said, drawing back a little.

Rey's face paled as she stared down at the non-descript box. She suddenly felt afraid. "I'm scared to open it." She admitted to Ben in a low voice.

"Do you want me to?" He offered.

Rey jerked her head in acknowledgement. Ben squeezed her fingers comfortingly before letting go of her hand so he could kneel down in the sand. He paused for a few seconds before reaching out and flipping the lid open. There was a quiet gasp from Rey as she fell onto her knees beside him when the box finally revealed its secret. Nestled inside the box was a lightsaber. Rey felt her heart pumping with excitement as she eagerly reached for it. As soon as her fingers wrapped around the hilt, an eerie feeling of familiarity coursed through her. Rey searched her memories but came up blank and it frustrated her. Who did this saber belong to?

Glancing to the side at Ben, she found his gaze equally as curious. Carefully she ignited it, releasing the shimmering blue blade. She stared at it wonderingly before exchanging a long look with Ben. The weapon gave off a pleasant hum as if it was in harmony with the one who was wielding it. Rey had never felt entirely comfortable using Anakin's saber. She always felt like it was on loan, a ridiculous notion she always thought, until she held this saber in her hand. It was only when she shut it down and looked in Han's direction that she noted the tension in the older man's face, which was mirrored in Chewie's.

"What's wrong?" Rey asked from her kneeling position beside Ben.

"I recognize that saber." Han confessed hoarsely.

"How?" Ben and Rey said in unison.

Han exchanged a long look with Chewie before answering. "Because I met the man who used to wield it." He took in a deep, shuddering breath before continuing. "It belonged to Old Ben Kenobi."

A/N-thanks for reading! Please review.