Ben jolted upright, as one might start into consciousness from the grips of a nightmare. His lungs burnt and he rolled hastily to his side, coughing heavily into the dirt below him.

His eyes pricked with tears against the flames that licked the inside of his chest, and he tried desperately to inhale the cool air that brushed his cheeks.

He could hear explosions, and the vibration of the earth beneath him, but it wasn't a metal deck. Ben clenched the soil underneath his fingertips.

Where was he?

Every nerve within his body tingled with a warmth he had only felt once before.

A warmth that had coursed through his body only when he was with Rey.

Panicked, Ben's wide eyes shot upwards and he turned abruptly, absorbing his surroundings until he found the amber eyes that had begun to feel like a faded memory.

Her eyes shone in the dim candlelight of the musky corridor. The way her gaze held his was piercing.

It was visceral.

"Ben," Rey made out unsteadily. Shock quivered through her.

The same shock emanated from his being in response.

How was he here?

Why did it not feel as though he had just taken a beating and been crushed by a collapsing dreadnaught?

He implored her eyes, before another voice cut the air between them.

"Rey… How the hell did you know any of that was going to work?" Finn's hands were firmly planted on his knees, taking in pained breaths. His shoulders trembled and Ben did not need to glean his emotions to know that he was a complete wreck.

"I… I don't know, I just… I just did what I felt was right…" Finn's eyes narrowed as he tried to understand her words.

"Are you really telling me that you took us aboard that dreadnaught, as it imploded in the sky, based on a feeling?" His voice pitched higher with each word.

"You said that you trusted me!" Rey cried, almost hurt at his response, if not for the slight glint in her eyes.

"I did!" He cried, then cleared his throat and levelled himself. "I do. You know I do. I mean, come on Rey. We almost died."

"You would think for the amount of times that we almost die, that you would be used to it by now." Rey was grinning openly now, mirth in her eyes. Finn shook his head at her, unwilling to concede, but Ben could feel the faith and relief that radiated from him.

Ben had been so absorbed in their interaction that he had forgotten about anything else.

He had forgotten about Hux, and the Knights of Ren, and the imminent danger they were in,

That was, until Finn spoke again, directly to Ben.

"Did you really give those disloyal to the First Order a chance to escape?" Finn's eyes were imploring, critical, but hopeful. It was as though everything rode on Ben's response.

Ben nodded slowly, not understanding.

"How did you know?" He murmured. Ben was quickly recovering the details of his final hours aboard the Dreadnaught, as memories flooded his now responsive mind.

"The transmission didn't just send through the First Order fleet. The entire Rebellion received it." Ben took in the way Rey's eyes shone as she spoke the words.

Was that pride that he saw glowing within the amber?

He tore his gaze from Rey's to meet a sudden movement from Finn, registering after several moments that he had outstretched his hand towards Ben. Glancing up to Finn's eyes, and saw the uncertainty now solid.

Ben took Finn's hand and the former stormtrooper helped the former Sith in training to his feet.

Ben implored Finn quizzically, drawing his eyebrows together in a frown.

He felt the resolution within Finn's mind, but he did not quite understand.

He wanted to know exactly why he hadn't tried to kill him yet.

Finn shrugged his shoulders stiffly, giving himself several moments to gather his words.

"I have never stopped wondering if there was anyone like me within the First Order. Now I know. You gave them that chance to get out." His fingers still gripped Ben's, and they tightened as Finn nodded his head deeply and let go.

Was it forgiveness? Was it acceptance?

"Though you realise that makes you a traitor now." Finn added, raising his eyebrow.

"I guess I'm in good company, then." Ben quipped back, the faintest of smirks pulling at the corner of his lips.

Finn's eyes widened slightly at him, before turning to Rey.

"Was that a joke?" He turned back to Ben. "Was that a joke?" He asked again, astonishment filling his demeanour.

Ben's smirk grew.

"I'm not going to lie; this is a weird look on you." Finn made out, shaking his head slightly at Ben.

Another explosion sounded from above them, distant, but the dust trembled from the stone around them in response, bringing their fears to the forefront.

"The Knights of Ren are already here, Rey. Have you felt them?" Rey's eyes refocused on Ben and a flash of panic crossed her features.

"I have. I could not be sure without being able to speak with you, but there was a shift only an hour past. It was overwhelming. It was…"

"Paralysing." Ben finished lowly. The fear that lingered in her features, in the tension of her jaw and tremble of her lips, told him all he needed to know.

"Their connection with the dark side has always been far firmer than mine, or yours. Their presence is acidic. There's no way you cannot feel their presence."

"They… They are going to come for us first, aren't they?" Rey questioned, desperate. Ben could feel her determination frantically clawing under the surface, but the fear that reverberated through the bond from one another was crushing.

"Yes. Hux told me himself, when he…" Ben trailed off, remembering the way his boots broke his nose, and broke his ribs...

"We need to get back to headquarters, Rey. We need to find Poe and speak to him; you know that he will really believe you now." Rey's eyes flickered to Ben's, and she nodded back at Finn as he led the way back through the dim corridor, footfalls moving quickly from Ben and Rey.

Rey turned to Ben almost nervously, looking up at him as though she wasn't sure what to say. He could feel a fear that trickled through their bond, separate to her terror regarding the imminent threat of the Knights of Ren.

Was she afraid of him?

Rey shook her head, feeling the anxiety that crept into his heart.

"No," she reaffirmed, moving closer to him, and taking his hand uncertainly. "I'm… I'm afraid that you're going to disappear." Ben's eyes widened, suddenly realising the implication of her words.

"Rey, how did I get here? How am I alive? How…" He trailed off, feeling his stomach and chest with unsteady fingers, as though the touch would allow him to feel the pain that he still remembered coursing through his body.

He really looked at her then. There were deep bags under her eyes, and frazzled hair stuck up from her buns in almost a halo.

"I… Finn and I got onto the dreadnaught, through our bond, I…"

"Wait... You got onto the dreadnaught through our bond, while it burned up in the atmosphere? That is how I got here?" Rey had the gall to look abashed, but she quickly jutted her chin up towards him, unapologetic.

"I wasn't about to let you die." Ben shook his head, eyes flickering to her lips. There was an overwhelming warmth that exploded within his chest.

She had been moments away from death to save him.

A memory of her flashed across his mind unwillingly, the first time he had spoken to her on Star Killer Base.

Her eyes had stared him down, murderous, and full of fury. She had tried to kill him that night.

Now, she had risked the lives of Finn and herself to save him.

He was overrun with a desire to take her within his arms, to press his lips against hers and tell her just how much he felt for her. He needed to make sure she knew that the love within his chest burnt for her, but he needed to refocus.

"Go on," He said, steadying himself.

"We found you and I called on the force…I didn't think, I just followed my instincts… I used the force to get us back here, I still don't understand how… But when we got back, Ben, you were so still… You were crushed beneath the debris, you were so injured… I knew I could heal you. I knew I could because I had done it before…" Rey moved her fingers to Ben's cheek, running them gently down the unblemished skin there.

The warmth that radiated from her palm was euphoric; if he had thought the connection through their bond was powerful, it was nothing compared to how the air vibrated between them now.

It was distracting, but they didn't have time.

They never seemed to have time.

"That was partially due to a dreadnaught and partially due to Hux." Ben almost growled, but refocused.

"Rey, the way that you healed me… Do you understand what you've done?" Rey shook her head.

"No, but… But I feel like it was right there all along. It didn't feel effortless, but I didn't need to reach for it. It came to me, bubbling to the surface."

She didn't know. How could she?

Ben took her hands within his own, imploring her eyes. He needed to make sure she understood the levity.

"My grandfather… Anakin, he… Before he became Darth Vader, he…" Deep breath.

"He fell to the dark side, like I… H-he believed my grandmother, Padmé, was destined to die in childbirth. He was manipulated by Darth Sidious, because he believed the dark side held the answers to life. He believed the dark side could keep Padmé from death."

"He was manipulated, he was deceived. There was no way to draw from the dark side in that way. It was unheard of. It was a lie." Ben bent his head just centimetres from Rey's face, imploring her eyes.

"You have to understand that what you did… There are fables, myths of this type of healing, passed down through the Jedi and the Sith, but that's all they ever were. Nothing more than just stories. But… You healed me Rey, not once, but twice."

"I still don't understand how I did it…"

Ben shook his head, bewildered.

She was impossible…

"Rey, I-" Ben begun, but his words were cut off by a terrified cry that emanated from the end of the corridor, and a violent jolt that ripped through the force.

hi pals! I hope you're all well. things are getting to the pointy end, and it's getting a bit climatic! hopefully ya'll enjoy. thank you very much for the reviews stepankahanusova86, RC and RedPanda! please know I very much appreciate the feedback. let me know how you find the next couple of chapters. I always find this part of a story hard to craft, as it can be hard to not only hold the suspense, but continue to build it.

sending ya'll my love!