A/N - Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Ben didn't move away from the door, and he didn't let Rey step away from him either. He wasn't going to let her anywhere near Poe, or Poe anywhere near the door, until he felt he could trust the man, which might never happen.

"What has happened here?" Poe asked, stunned.

"I might ask you the same question," Ben retorted sharply.

Poe's eyes shone with amusement for a moment before they grew serious and harsh once more.

"You know if Snoke discovers this, they'll kill her," Poe told him. "He might even kill you."

Ben felt Rey bristle, her fingers tensed on his shirt.

"And you plan on what, just walking out of here with her?" Ben asked with a bitter laugh. "You think Snoke will let you get away with that?"

"I have a plan."

"And it doesn't risk her life at all?" Ben growled.

Poe's gaze drifted toward Rey.

"There's always a risk in everything we do. We felt that the risk far outweighed the danger if it meant getting Rey back," Poe said firmly. "I was sent here to assess the situation, to find out if Rey was even still alive, and to see if I could get her safely out without jeopardizing either of our lives."

"And if you couldn't?"

"Then I was to leave."

Ben was somewhat put off by this statement. It made little sense to him, and he didn't entirely believe it.

"They sent you here just to have you leave if you couldn't do anything?"

"Poe has worked his way up in our ranks; Leia thinks very highly of him, she wouldn't risk losing him. Especially if she feels that she can trust him." Rey's gaze remained wary as she surveyed him.

Poe pulled something from his coat pocket and stepped toward them.

"Leia instructed me to give you this."

Ben shifted, blocking her with his body as Poe approached them. He snatched the thing from Poe's hand, and a low rumble of warning issued from him when Poe went to take another step toward her. Poe appeared startled as he retreated from them.

Rey held out her hand, accepting the pair of gold dice that had once hung in the Millenium Falcon. Ben had recognized them instantly from his younger years playing in the cockpit.

"She gave this to you?" Rey whispered.

"So you would know that you could trust me."

Her fingers trembled as she stroked the dice. Her eyes came up to Ben's and a single tear slipped free as they both recalled his despicable actions.

"Leia would never give this to anyone she didn't trust," Rey told him gently, and he knew it to be true.

Ben wiped the tear from her cheek, and his hands enfolded hers as he turned his attention back to Poe.

"And can she trust you?" Ben challenged. "Can I trust you?"

Poe nodded.

"If you desire her safety as much as Leia and I do, then yes, you can trust me."

Ben studied him carefully, not at all convinced by his words.

"What was supposed to happen if you couldn't get her or yourself out of here safely?"

Poe leaned back, folding his hands behind him, his eyes sad and grave.

"If I am unable to get us both to safety, I am to leave so that Leia can come here.

"Excuse me?" Rey asked sharply, her head snapping up at Poe's words.

Poe was silent for a moment, and then his shoulders slumped as he ran his hand through his hair.

"She's not going to risk losing us both. If I couldn't get you free then I was to leave and Leia was going to offer herself in trade for you."

Rey's breath hissed out of her, and her hands clutched around the dice.

"That's crazy! Why would she do such a thing?"

"Because you're the future of the Resistance, you have the potential to be a Jedi, and likely the only person who can convince Luke Skywalker to come back."

Rey shook her head.

"No, she can't do that! There are thousands of other lives that depend on her. Mine is nothing compared to that. Nothing! She knows better than to do something so foolish!"

Poe studied her silently. Ben was unable to wrap his mind around the words that Poe had just uttered. Leia was willing to give up her life for Rey.

He stared at Rey's countenance, noting the stubborn set of her jaw and the fire in her bright eyes. There was a rod of strength and courage that ran through her that was both admirable and slightly frightening. She was reckless, a danger to herself, and she had to be protected from the cruelty of the world.

To give his life for her didn't seem so unbelievably farfetched.

It was a strange realization, one he had never experienced before, and had never expected to experience.

For her, he could and would do anything.

Poe shrugged.

"If I couldn't succeed in saving you, I was to try for Finn and retreat. Is he still alive?"

"Yes," Rey whispered, her voice choked with emotion.

"Good," Poe heaved a sigh of relief. "I'm sure I'll be able to get to him. Leia won't have to come for you."

"She was going to sacrifice herself for Finn too?" she breathed, but Poe shook his head.

"No. Leia cares for Finn, and he's an important member of the Resistance, but she wasn't going to come for him. You're the Jedi, Rey, and you are far more important to the cause than Finn."

Rey shook her head forcefully at him.

"No, I'm not!" She protested. "Finn is a strong fighter, he rallies people to the cause, and he has inside knowledge of how the First Order operates."

"As a Jedi, you would be able to rally the rebels to battle even more so than Finn," Ben explained sympathetically.

Rey bit her bottom lip, and her gaze darted swiftly up to him.

"I don't want this. I didn't want any of this."

She looked so lost, so frightened and sad. He had never seen her like this; even dirty and bedraggled she had displayed an air of defiance that was admirable.

"I know," Poe said. "But it has to be dealt with."

She turned back to him.

"Leia had to know it would be a suicide mission, that they wouldn't release me, no matter what."

Poe's gaze darted to Ben.

"It was a chance she was willing to take, if it meant she had a chance at saving you, at saving the future of the Resistance."

Rey tore free of his grasp and strode rapidly to the door of the library where she stopped, and stood uncertainly. Her arms wrapped around her stomach, she seemed torn, lost.

"I'm not the future of anything," She said softly. "I'm not a Jedi, and never will be."

"That's not what Leia thinks," Poe assured her. "And believe me, the General always knows best."

Rey's gaze flickered, and then she bit her bottom lip and nodded.

"You're right."

Then she was moving again, coming back to Ben, slipping her hand into his. He didn't think she was aware of the fact that she had just sought him out for comfort, but he was pleased by the notion. She stared up at him for a moment, her eyes searching his face.

"What do we do now?"

He didn't have an answer for her, but Poe did.

"Now, we make a plan to get you out of here."

Dismay filled Rey's eyes, and Ben felt a sharp twinge in his chest. His entire being recoiled at the very idea.

He knew that she should leave, that she had to get somewhere safe, he just wasn't sure he would be able to let her go in order to do so.

A/N - What do you think Rey and Ben will decide to do? Let me know!

As always, please leave a review with your thoughts, suggestions, and predictions, and I'll see you in the next chapter!

~ Elizabeth (FanOfDeliciousFlavour)