A/N - Welcome back! Just a warning, this chapter is incredibly steamy, so if you're uncomfortable with that feel free to skip those parts!

Hope you enjoy!

Rey stared numbly out the window at the gardens. She hadn't moved from the window seat since Poe and Ben had left to attend the banquet. They were both required to be there, but neither of them was willing to let her anywhere near it.

Ben didn't think that Finn was going to be brought, but he wasn't willing to take the chance. No one knew how Finn was going to react when he saw Poe in a First Order uniform, and they didn't need her presence there to further complicate things.

The only problem was that they hadn't settled anything before they left, and now she felt lost, confused, and torn between her friends and a man she was beginning to realize that she loved.

She didn't know when she had started to love him. She supposed it had been the night that he had comforted her after Hux's attack. It had been cemented by the revelation of their connection, the fact that they were each other's balance.

But what did that mean? Where did that leave her? Where did that leave them?

If she stayed here, she would forfeit her friends, cause, and freedom forever. If she left, she would be back with her loved ones, back in the life that she cherished so much, but she would be leaving a big piece of herself behind - not only leaving it behind, but turning against it, actively opposing it with every move.

She thought it should be an easy choice, life as a free woman with the Resistance or life as a First Order prisoner.

It wasn't even close to being easy though. Not when it meant that the next time she saw Ben would be facing him down with a lightsaber in hand. Not when it meant she could never hold him or feel him again.

She felt like crying, but she found the tears wouldn't come. Her eyes were as dry and empty as the deserts on Jakku. She sat for hours, unable to move as the sweet sounds of music drifted up from below.

The sun had set a while ago, and it was late when Ben returned. She hadn't realized she had drifted off until she felt his arms wrapping around her. He lifted her smoothly from the window seat, cradling her against her chest as he carried her from the room.

"Ben?" she whispered, though she knew it was. She would know him anywhere.

"Go back to sleep, Rey."

She curled closer against his chest. Her fingers threaded inside of his coat, pushing aside buttons on his shirt. She rested her palm against his solid chest, and sighed as her hand came into contact with his skin. She didn't think she would ever get tired of touching him as her fingers slid over him.

He placed her gently upon the bed and pressed a kiss against her forehead before he pulled reluctantly away from her. She watched through half closed eyes as he pulled his coat off, tossed it aside, and disappeared into the bathroom. She listened as he moved about, fighting against the deep pull of sleep that threatened to claim her.

He was back again before she knew it, his hand upon her shoulder.

"Would you like me to remove your wraps?" He asked softly, gesturing to her arms. It was a simple task that she could do herself, but she was warmed by the offer and nodded.

A smile flitted over his full mouth, one so rare and fleeting that it robbed her of her breath.

"So you've decided to reveal your weapon to me?"

Her face drained of color. She had completely forgotten about her makeshift weapon, but after the events of today she hadn't felt safe without it.

"You knew!" She accused.

That smile was back. She might have found it adorable if she hadn't been so rocked by his question.

"I knew."

"How long have you known?"

"Since the beginning."

She glanced down at her arms, her eyebrows drawing together as she studied them. She'd spent a lot of time making sure her weapon was safely concealed.

He leaned over her, and the heat of his body warmed hers even as a chill lingered from his revelation. His lips were just centimeters from her cheek. For a moment she lost all train of thought as she was consumed by the need for him to touch her, to kiss her.

Her fingers curled around his upper arms; she had to hold onto something to stay grounded in the sea of desire that was threatening to consume her.

"I very much enjoy looking at your body," He purred. "So I tend to notice when something's off."

Her eyes flew wildly up to his. She thought she should feel outraged by his comment. Instead, her traitorous body was thrilled by it.

"I… I don't even know what to say to that."

"That's a first."

Well, that sparked some anger from her. He chuckled, actually chuckled, as she glared crossly at him.

"Why did you let me keep it then?" She demanded.

He shrugged as he rested his hand on her wrist. She completely forgot about being irritated with him as his presence overwhelmed her ire. Even through fabric, she could feel the heat of his hand as it seared into her flesh.

She began to tingle with anticipation as she instinctively pressed closer to him. The pupils of his eyes dilated and his humor vanished as he focused on her mouth.

Rey almost whimpered from the clamor surging through her body as his gaze focused on her lips before traveling over her body in a hungry perusal that left her feeling exposed and aching for something she didn't quite understand, but instinctively knew he could help her with.

Only he could ease the ache building within her.

"I planned to see what you would do with it."

His eyes were back on hers as he leaned closer. Her hands curled around his arms, and her thumb began to stroke the tantalizing flesh beneath the thin material of his shirt.

"I intended to use it against you."

"I know."

She had expected him to retreat at the reminder that they were enemies; instead his lips brushed hers as he spoke. The feathery caress of every word caused her heart to thump against her ribs in response. It was torment, this touching yet not touching.

She wanted him to end it, wanted him to finally kiss her again, and yet she found she enjoyed the sweet torture.

"You would have actually tried to kill me?"

"In the beginning," she admitted. "And there's been a time or two that I was tempted."

His laugh was low as it rumbled pleasantly out of his chest.

"The feeling was mutual."

She couldn't help but grin at him.

"I imagine it was. Though, I think I was far more tempted to stab Hux than you." His amusement vanished so suddenly that she gasped in surprise. "Ben..."

"I won't let him anywhere near you ever again." The words were grated and harsh, his eyes brutal. His lips against hers were not teasing and playful anymore, but compressed into a severe line.

"I… I didn't think you would." She stammered. His muscles rippled beneath her hands, his lips curled in a small sneer.

Rey's hands tightened around him as she stared, astonished by the slip in his control, the blatant reminder of who he was and what he was capable of. Trepidation trickled down her spine, and she was unable to release his arms as she sensed something within him that had nothing to do with his hunger for her.

For a brief moment his vulnerability was exposed to her. Her heart ached for the man beneath this remorseless exterior, the one who wasn't like any of the other First Order officers, and most certainly wasn't like his hideously cruel master.

This was the man who read to her, took care of her injuries, and touched her with such tender reverence.

Love swelled within her and she nearly cried from the force of the emotion growing within her chest. It encompassed her as it grew and surged rapidly.

"Don't be afraid, I feel it too," he whispered gently. Tears slid down her cheeks, and he wiped them lightly away with the pads of his thumbs. His fingers stroked over her face as a storm of emotion filled his eyes. "What am I going to do with you, Rey?"

She shook her head. She had no answers for him, and there were none in this situation, not for them. She simply wanted to be with him, in this moment, and forget about everything that was trying to tear them apart.

With a feathery touch she ran the tips of her fingers over his taut, full mouth. He shuddered in response, and his eyes darkened with desire.

"Let me get this off of you."

His hands were gentle upon her as he lifted her effortlessly to her feet. Rey stared at him in surprise, her lips parted. His full mouth curved into a smile as he slid her outerwear off of her, letting them pool on the ground at her feet, leaving her only in her undergarments.

Her face flared with heat and she ducked away from him as she stepped out of the material.

The handle of the weapon poked out of her arm wraps. His finger brushed tantalizingly against her skin as he undid her wraps, plucking the weapon free and staring at it a moment. His eyes were gleaming with amusement as he waved it before her.

"The nightstand leg?"

"Yes."

"Destructive little rebel." He held the weapon for a moment more before snapping it in half, letting the broken pieces fall to the floor.

For the first time she noticed that his legs were bare, and that he only wore a pair of shorts. His thighs were corded, and the muscles in them stood out sharply as he moved. Her pulse pounded as he unbuttoned his shirt and slid the material free.

She was staring, she knew she was, but she couldn't stop herself from taking in the perfectly sculpted muscles that ridged his abdomen, broad shoulders, and chest.

It seemed as if someone had decided to create the perfect man and had come up with him. And he was staring at her from under hooded eyes that made her toes curl into the thick carpet.

Kriff, she was in over her head. She had no experience with this. She felt like a child, at the same time she began to become aware of herself as a woman.

"Rey?"

His hand was gentle as it caressed her cheek, tilting her face so that she had to look up at him. There were no words left in her, nothing more she could say.

She stepped closer to him, resting her hands on his bare chest, marveling at the feeling as her hands trailed over it. He was unmoving beneath her touch, letting her explore him as she saw fit. She yearned to touch all of him, but her fingers froze upon the ridges that sculpted his abdomen, just above the line of his shorts.

He pulled her forward, kissing her forehead as he held her flush against him.

"You're beautiful, Rey."

She blinked in surprise. No one had ever said that to her, and though she knew it wasn't true, she couldn't stop the thrill of pleasure that raced through her at his words.

"No, Ben, but thank-"

"Yes, Rey. To me, you're the most beautiful woman in the galaxy."

Tears burned in her eyes as she searched his gaze, but all she saw was honesty and desire radiating back at her. Her fingers curled against his skin and love bloomed rapidly through her chest. She couldn't fight the tidal wave of emotion that was overtaking her.

She tilted her chin back, drinking in the sight of him. He was magnificent, powerful, and for now, in this moment, it was just the two of them.

There was no Light and Dark, no Jedi and Sith, no Resistance and the First Order. It was just them, and they didn't have to worry or fear anything else, not here.

He bent closer to her, his mouth just inches away from her lips, his eyes intent upon hers. One hand tangled in her hair, pulling her head gently to the side as he bent to place a kiss against her throat, lips gentle and loving.

Her hands curled against his corded muscles as he dropped smooth kisses across her neck, her cheeks, before brushing briefly against her mouth.

Rey's knees trembled and she was shaking against him, barely able to stand as his tongue flickered against her lips. Her mouth parted eagerly to his hungry invasion. His arms locked around her waist as he lifted her off her feet, keeping her pressed flush against him. Rey wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging to him as he laid her on the bed and leveled himself gradually on top of her.

The weight of him was wonderful, everything about him was wonderful. She never wanted this moment to end, never wanted any of this to stop. She wished that she could freeze time, that she could simply lay here with him and enjoy the miracle of this moment. She wished that they would never have to face the world or any of the horrible things in it again.

No matter what happened, she was going to enjoy this night. They were going to have one moment of pure happiness and peace before the harsh reality they were faced with came crashing back in.

His kiss became more urgent, fevered. She could feel the lust that he radiated. Her head was spinning, her body completely out of control as she held onto him, using him as an anchor in a world that was suddenly tumultuous.

His hands stroked her tenderly, moving over her in a whisper of a caress that caused her to tremble everywhere. He was positioned in a way that, if he wanted to, he could easily join them both in a simple motion, easily give them both what they were craving.

But he wouldn't, she realized, unless she gave him permission to.

She was shaking, close to tears as she turned her head, burying her face in his strong neck. She pressed her mouth against his solid flesh, clutching his arms as she tried to stabilize herself, tried to keep herself grounded though she knew it was impossible.

"It's okay," she breathed. "It's okay."

He didn't seem to hear her at first, as he didn't stop kissing her neck. Then his arms locked and he drew slowly back from her. She pushed his dark locks aside as she stroked his face.

"Rey?"

"It's okay," she said again. "I want this, Ben."

"Rey," His voice was a low anguish filled moan as he dropped his head into the hollow of her neck. His shoulders shook, and the tension in him was almost palpable. "You don't know what you're asking for."

"I'm asking for you."

His shaking increased and his hands stopped running over her as he cradled the back of her head. Her heart swelled with love. He was fighting so hard against himself, restraining himself because he was so fearful he might harm her, even though she was willingly offering him what he so desperately required.

"I'm yours, Ben," she whispered. "Take me."

He groaned loudly. She felt the snap, the point where he lost control and his craving for her took over. Rey gasped, and her fingers dug sharply into his back as he fulfilled her wish.

For a moment the entire world blurred; she could think of nothing but him. He was everywhere, over her, in her, a part of her as he sank into her completely.

Then, little by little, they became separate entities again. She could make out his hunger, his fascination with her as he consumed her. His thoughts mingled at the edges of her conscious as his pleasure engulfed her.

He craved all of her, could not get enough of her, he would never get enough of her, and she didn't want him to.

She realized at some point that the words I love you were spilling from her in an unending chorus that she couldn't stop until a wave of pleasure hit that was so strong that it washed her away into nothingness.

She drifted in and out of consciousness, pleasant memories rolled in like the rain before slipping away again. Dreams came and went, shadows spun through her mind. Ben was holding her, cradling her against his chest, whispering for her not to leave him.

She thought she heard him whispering I love you but she couldn't be sure.

Finally, she drifted into a state of profound bliss where she knew she was safe in his arms.

A/N - Hope you enjoyed that chapter!

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

~ Elizabeth (FanOfDeliciousFlavour)