Rey slowly emerged from a deep sleep. She couldn't remember a time in her life she had slept so heavily and peacefully. Her head was resting on Ben's chest. His gentle heartbeat in her ear as she gave a contented sigh, remembering their late night and basking in the deepened connection they shared.
She could feel his mind still at ease, lost in his own dreams. Their bond had expanded far beyond what either of them had anticipated, any and all walls and distractions were long gone. They were able to freely come together to form one consciousness, sensing each other's thoughts with ease.
It was pure ecstasy. Rey was certain she would endure all of the events from the past few months ten times over just for the chance to come back to this. All of her fears of loneliness and abandonment were forgotten and replaced with the abundance of desire and wholeness. They were not only able to fully see themselves for who they were, but could also see themselves through each other's eyes, equally full of love and adoration.
Rey gently opened her eyes as she felt the grogginess wear off. She was completely intertwined with him. He had one hand rested on top of her outstretched arm, snaked around his torso to keep herself pulled close, the other wrapped around her back and rested gingerly on her side. She moved slightly and felt his hold tighten around her. She couldn't help the smile that pulled her lips.
She could feel him slowly wake, but kept still. He would certainly sense her awareness, but she wanted to keep the moment for as long as possible. His chest rose, and she with it, as he took a deep breath. Rey was certain she had never felt such peace and contentedness in him as he moved to press a kiss into her hair.
They laid there in silence, just enjoying the quiet moment. Rey knew they wouldn't have much time before they would need to ready themselves for the mess she was certain would be waiting for them once they landed. Ben's mind groaned with displeasure as he sensed her thoughts, and she felt him try to pull her back into the cocoon of memories of the night before.
She gave a giggle and finally shifted so she could look up at him. His eyes met hers for a moment before he leaned in to gently kiss her, moving his free arm around her back so she was held firmly in place. Rey knew they both would happily stay here all day if they could. Ben pulled back slowly. "We could." He said just above a whisper, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
She shot him a lopsided grin and slightly rolled her eyes before resting her head back down on his chest with a sigh. As much as she wanted to forget the day and stay here, she couldn't help the onslaught of thoughts that had begun. There was a lot of work ahead of them. She kissed his exposed skin before gently untangling herself and sitting up.
Ben folded his arms behind his head and shot her an amused look as she pulled the blanket around her bare body. She could feel his intrigue rise as she looked around the room, their clothes scattered around. As confident as she had been before, her timidness had returned with the morning and she wasn't exactly comfortable with the idea of him watching her redress. She sensed his suppressed laughter as he waited patiently beside her.
She eyed his shirt nearby and pulled it towards her before quickly slipping it over her head. He was much larger than she was, and it would easily fall a few inches above her knees. Satisfied, she stood and looked back over to him. His look had changed from antagonizing amusement to lustful pride. She could sense how pleased he was to see her dressed in his clothes. His thoughts wandered and her mouth gaped slightly in shock. She reached her hand out with the Force to gently throw a pillow on his face. "Ben Solo we are never going to get anything done with thoughts like that!" She laughed nervously and turned to make her way into the refresher. It hadn't fazed him a bit. His joy hummed through their bond and brought a smile to her face as she readied herself.
Not more than a few hours later they had finally entered Resistance space. "This is R3Y-021 requesting a secure channel with command." she said into the comm once she switched to the Rebel frequency. "We read you R3Y-021, securing the channel. Please switch to Alpha-6565 frequency." The comm officer responded. Ben shifted in his seat beside her. She could sense the anxious pull in his chest.
They had discussed how to keep his identity a secret. Though, there were bound to be a few people that would be able to recognize him without his mask. The current leaders of the Resistance to name a few. Rey planned on leaving Ben on the ship until she managed to convince Finn and Poe that he was no longer a threat, but Ben had his doubts about it and frankly, so did Rey.
"The great Rey finally makes a reappearance after no contact for months!" Poe's voice broke over the comm dryly. "I'm sorry, Poe. But you can't say that I didn't warn you that it might take some time." She responded with a sigh. "Yeah well. Hope whatever secret Jedi mission you went on was a success. I won't lie though, we definitely could have used your help."
He didn't sound malicious. More, tired and worn. "It was a success." She looked over to Ben for a moment and gave a small smile. "But I do have someone on board that requires immediate medical attention. Can you have a team ready once we land?"
"Of course, Rey. Sorry. We can chit-chat later about what's been going on. We've got a landing pad ready for you. We've had quite the upgrade since you left. I'll meet you down there and give you a tour." Poe paused for a moment before cutting the call. "We really missed ya, Rey." He murmured quietly. Rey smiled despite the twang of jealousy she felt from Ben. "I missed you all too."
The comm cut and Rey turned so they could begin prepping for decent. Rey tried to subtly glance over and Ben who had busied himself with the controls. She sensed him put a mental shield up from his emotions and she stifled a sigh. "I'll go check on them and make sure we're ready." She said, pushing herself from her seat and silently making her way to the back room.
Theo had been sitting in the main hold. "What's the news, we almost there?" He hopped up from his seat and began following her back to the room with Jarda and Doj. The door whooshed open. "We should be landing in the next ten minutes." She looked down at Jarda. Her skin looked like it was on fire. The welts on her face and arms were red and puffy and her shaky breath gasped for what little air it could get.
"Good. I don't think I could stand to see her like this any longer." Doj said quietly. "I'll make sure we're ready." He began putting some of her belongings in his knapsack before he looked back up to the lingering Rey. "There's more?" Theo nudged her from behind. Rey sighed. "Since we are going into a Resistance base, it is imperative that you do not tell them who you are.. Er.." She stumbled. "Were. I'll be briefing them on some of the details but It's best you don't say anything for a while. "
Doj nodded. "Of course." Rey still stood before him with her brows furrowed. "And?" Doj prompted. "No one can know about Ben." She said and winced and the comments she knew would come flooding her way. "Why the hell should we help protect him? He deserves whatever they want to do to him in my humble opinion." Theo shot out before Doj could get a word in.
Doj held his hand up to silence his brother. His brow had lowered as he looked back over Jarda. "No Theo. She's right. At least for now. If they find out who he is they might not help her. We've got to blend in. We can talk about what happens next after she's better." He said calmly much to Theo's dismay. Rey ignored the continuing argument and mouthed "Thank you" to Doj who looked at her rather blankly in return. "Don't thank me yet." He muttered and turned back to his task.
Rey exited the room and decided to return back to the cockpit before they made it to their destination. Ben sat in full concentration. Rey could see he had taken the ship off of autopilot and prepared to manually steer to the landing pad. They sat in silence as they made their descent and touched the ship down. The engines whirred as they shut off and the ship was silent.
Rey looked back over to Ben before she jumped to meet the landing party she was sure was waiting for her. He made no move to look at her, opting to stare out the viewport blankly. She reached over and gingerly took his rigid hand. He relaxed slightly as she pulled him to look at her. "I'll be back. It will be okay. I promise. But don't shut me out." She moved to press her forehead against his. She could feel the tension loosen between them.
Every emotion he shared with her she held. She did her best not to judge them, she just let them be. She pressed back with her own emotions, both sides flowing through their invisible bond. They started when they heard the hatch open and Rey pulled away from him. His gaze had hardened back to an unreadable expression, but their bond remained the same.
Rey pressed a kiss into his forehead before she left him and made her way back to the main hold. The ramp had been lowered and Theo and Doj were waiting at the top as the medical crew made their way inside. Rey walked down the ramp to find Finn and Poe standing near the platform. Her face broke into a smile and she jogged over to them.
"Rey! Is everything ok?" Finn looked at her with excitement and fear before narrowing his eyes at her. "I'm fine. One of my new traveling companions had a bit of an accident. She's going to need quite some time in the bacta tank." Poe watched the procession make their way past them and into the medical wing. "Yeah you're going to have to give us the details on these guys. What the hell has been going on?"
"Long story." Rey sighed and looked around. There were a few engineers and other personnel performing tasks within earshot. Finn and Poe followed her gaze. Poe nodded. "Let's get out of here then." He mumbled and turned to lead them inside.
The Resistance base was unrecognizable from the small compound and cave set up they had before. Rey could hardly believe it had grown so much in such a short time. "Yeah, we've gotten a bit more popular since we won the war." Poe flashed her a smug smile. "We've expanded 840%. Can you believe that? We've almost taken over 75% of First Order space. There's still a lot to do on the political side of things, but we're getting there."
He led them down a maze of halls. "As soon as we got proper funding we moved all priority staff to this new building. It's got higher level clearance since the attack." Rey stopped. "What attack?" Finn shuffled nervously. "We got hit by a bug in the system around the time that you left. We tightened security but not before some of our systems were compromised. Luckily with all the new backers and recruits we've been able to afford the necessary upgrades to make sure it doesn't happen again."
Rey eyed Finn. They both knew exactly what had happened, and now Rey had a good guess of who or what was responsible for the bug in the system. "Why do I get the feeling you two know something." Poe lamented before punching the button to open a nearby door. They followed Poe into the large room. It was obviously a meeting hall. The long room had an equally long table lined with empty chairs.
"Please make yourself comfortable." Poe gestured to the chairs as he entered a code on the door panel. "There. Whatever is said in this room stays in this room. There's a lot to catch up on then." He turned back to them and took his seat at the end of the table. "Perhaps we can start with why the hell you two looked guilty as a newborn smuggler when I talked about the security breach, eh?" His eyes shot out from under his dark brows as he waited. Finn began to open his mouth but Rey cut him off before he got them into more hot water.
"Not guilty per say." She began, choosing her words carefully. "I had Finn doing some research for me. Research that garnered some.. Attention." She paused. "Oh yeah ya think?" Poe shook his head incredulously. " You never mentioned this before, Finn. And what, per say, was he researching?" He shot back expectantly. Finn looked at her with mild concern and curiosity.
"I had him looking up a Sith planet. I needed an artifact. Unfortunately during my time there I discovered a hidden faction of Sith worshipers. I don't have much information on them except for the fact that they're well hidden. They've set up task forces throughout the galaxy to monitor searches and find out when they have been compromised." She paused and let the information sink in. She could sense Poe's confusion, and the rising fear growing in Finn.
"The three companions I picked up originally helped me into a trap on the planet, but they ended up stuck with me as well. We escaped and they joined me, however whomever they worked for is still out there." She finished. Poe had a permanent crease form between his eyebrows and he shook his head in disbelief.
"You mean to tell me you compromised our systems, willingly" He shot a dirty look over to Finn. "and then you both kept it secret while you flew off for months?" He turned to look at Rey. "AND you brought the people who tried to kill you along? Can you please tell me what sense that makes? Because you two sure don't sound like friends to the Resistance to me right now. Why the hell did you need a Sith artifact anyway, isn't that just pure evil in physical form?" His voice had risen to almost a yell before he finished, huffing and puffing while he waited for a response.
"So, you did it?" Finn asked in a low voice, ignoring Poe's outburst. Rey bit the inside of her cheek, she should have known it wasn't going to be long before she'd have to confess. "I could have sworn I could sense him with you when you landed." Poe's head whipped back and forth while Finn spoke. "Who? You brought who back, Rey?"
Rey could sense his patience waning. It was now or never. She turned to Poe and tried to push as much peaceful energy his way she could. He settled back down in his seat. "Stop using that Jedi stuff on me and just tell me what the hell you did."
Rey recounted, among many outbursts from the two men, exactly what had happened since Ben's death. She could tell they were silently fuming as they asked her various details of where she had been and what she had been doing. Finn eventually grew quiet and drew back as she finished. "I understand if having us here is too much, I know you feel betrayed, I know it's hard to understand, but I know this is my destiny. To be with him, to be balanced. I had just hoped…"
Her voice cracked for a moment. "I just hope you can forgive me for putting you in any danger. That was the whole point of keeping it a secret and leaving. I just wanted to make sure you were safe." Poe sputtered for a moment and sat back in his chair. "You're absolutely insane, you know?" He crossed his arms over his chest and stared up at the ceiling. "I still can't believe you knew about this the whole time and never said anything either." He said angrily to Finn, jutting his jaw out. "Wait. So he's here? You're telling me you actually brought the former First Order leader here?"
"What else was I supposed to do? Other than you two and Chewie, no one else will know who he is. He has nothing against the Resistance, if anything wouldn't he be a valuable asset to take out the rest of the fleet?" Rey challenged. She could see Poe's nose flicker in irritation. "I can't keep this secret Rey." He said quietly. Rey shot back up to him, panicked and felt Ben's tug on their bond as he felt her strong emotion. What happened?
She ignored his voice. "Poe you don't understand. Not everyone is going to believe that he's changed. We have the advantage of anonymity right now." Poe looked back at her sharply. "No Rey, you don't understand. I am part of a team that makes decisions together. I'm not saying the whole galaxy needs to know but if you are going to even have the tiniest shot to make this work they need to know." Rey, what's happening?
Rey paused for a moment. Poe wasn't wrong. It was unfair to try and make him keep her secrets. Sooner or later Ben was going to have to own up to his own mistakes. "Besides that, now you're telling me you met "The Force" and you aren't even a Jedi anymore? What does that even mean?"
Finn leaned forward after being silent for most of the conversation. "That part I do understand. Everything you said just feels… right. Though I wish you would have been fully honest with me in the first place. I guess I get it." He mumbled and looked down at the table. "I know Finn, I'm sorry I didn't tell you more. I just wanted to make sure you didn't get hurt." Rey reached over to put her hand on his. REY Ben called in her mind.
I'm here. I'm sorry, just a lot of explaining to do. Why did you get so panicked? She paused before finally answering him. They're not going to let you in without meeting with the Resistance council.
Silence. She could sense his emotions pick up. Fear, shame, rage. We don't have to do it right now.
" Uh, Rey? You in there?" Poe looked at her quizzically. "Yes Poe, sorry." She sighed. "When do we do this?" Poe shifted in his seat. "As early as tomorrow morning at 0900. But Rey, you should know that people aren't going to be as willing to trust you after this." He turned back to Finn. "Or you for that matter. I know you've both got everyone's best interest at heart, but I'm not sure that lines up with what we're trying to do here. If anything, it's going to take a long time to build the kind of trust you had before.. And that includes me too." He clenched his jaw and looked towards the end of the table.
Rey bit her lip. He was right. Even in her efforts to keep them safe she ended up endangering the base, and many people will believe she's doing it again if they knew she was bringing a bunch of First Order exiles right into the heart of the Resistance.
"Listen, we're not going to get anywhere arguing in here. You should go check on your friends in the med bay and prepare for tomorrow." Poe braced his hands on the table to stand and made his way to the door without a word. The gentle whoosh was the only sound as Rey and Finn sat motionless at the table.
"I'm truly sorry Finn. I had no idea what kind of position I was putting you in." Rey grimaced and shook her head. Finn leaned back in his chair. "I'll talk to him. He's got a point though, the Resistance trusted you because they trusted Jedi. They're not going to like what you've got to say about balance, they've just won a very long war and something new like this is going to be difficult for them to trust or endorse."
Rey sighed. She was in for a very difficult conversation. Finn leaned forward and met her eye. "You've got to tell me more though. How do you become balanced? What does that really even mean? I mean," He stuttered for a moment. "I can sense how much you've changed, and I'm betting it's not just because he's back either.
Rey tried to recount every moment she and Ben had both had with Harmaa, then explaining her newfound ability to purge Force energy. "I just know that's our destiny, Finn. Judging by what happened to Jarda we are the only two who are able to do this. We've got a whole galaxy's worth of places we could help restore balance in. Who knows what good that could do for everyone. As much as I'd love to stay with the Resistance, if they won't accept us anymore.."
"You're willing to do it with or without us." He finished for her, sighing. "I get it Rey. I really do. The problem is almost all of the people in there can't sense it like we can, and they're unlikely to take our word for it after they learn about our part in the security breach. We've really got our work cut out for us."
Rey shot him a hopeful look. "What? You didn't think after everything I was just going to leave you to fend for yourself? You said it yourself Rey, we're best friends. I've got your back." He gave her a sentimental grin. "Just please keep me in the loop from now on. No more 'keeping it secret to protect you' nonsense." Rey shot up and moved around the table to give him a hug. "Deal."
Rey had stopped by the med bay on her way back to the ship. Jarda's body hung in the bacta tank, her swollen welts already appeared to have started mending. "It's going to be a few days at least. They've given us a room, but I'll be here if you need me." Doj said from the nearby chair.
Rey nodded. "I'm meeting with the council tomorrow. I won't tell them all of your details, but I'm sure as long as you're willing to cooperate they shouldn't mind. It's not unlikely to see people switching sides at this point. Keep your heads low for now and I'll be back to check on you tomorrow." Doj nodded and turned his gaze back to Jarda.
The door shut silently behind her as she attempted to make her way back to whatever landing pad The Falcon was left on. Poe hadn't exaggerated, the new base seemed massive in comparison to the scanty site that had been here before. It was honestly more surprising to see that they had set up a permanent residence on the small moon. It would have made more sense if they had relocated to a larger planet or city.
Eventually she made her way back to the ship. Rey could sense Ben's nervous energy from inside as she opened the hatch and made her way up the ramp. He sat on the bench seat, elbows resting on his knees. His heart fluttered nervously when he saw her. "Please tell me that was it and we can go now."
She crossed over and pulled him into a tight hug, his head resting on her stomach as he looped his arms around her waist. Rey sighed. "Meeting tomorrow at 0900. Suffice to say Poe wasn't too happy and I owe them all an explanation." She pulled away to see his face. "Even if that means we go our separate ways. I helped the Resistance accomplish what they set out to do. If they choose not to have any part with us then I'm okay with that."
Ben's brows lowered at her words. "Why bother at all then. Why not leave now and forget the explanation. There's no way they're going to be happy with what you have to say." He shook his head incredulously. Rey reached down to gently cup his face. "You know why. They may not believe a word I say but they need to know about the Sith that are still out there. That could be a huge threat if left alone. We're going to fight no matter what but I'd like to be sure we've at least tried to have the Resistance on our side."
He huffed in defeat. Rey felt the corner of her mouth turn up as she moved to thread her fingers through his hair. It was only mid-afternoon. "You know, we've got the whole ship to ourselves, and nowhere to be.." She trailed off as he caught on, giggling as he tightened his grip around her legs and lifted her into the air to move back to the bedroom.
Author's Note: Double length chapter today! I may take the next week off depending on how busy this week is. Hope you all are doing well!