A/N - Welcome back to the story!

"Rey?"

Rey roused herself from the floor. It was filthy in here, dirty in ways that even Jakku wasn't dirty. Her nose wrinkled as she tried to block out the scents around her, but it was impossible. She had lived in some pretty hideous places, been cramped and filthy and foul more times than she could count, but the smells here were some of the worst she'd ever encountered. The air was ripe with mildew, the copper tang of blood, body odor, and fear.

It was the smell of fear that hung the heaviest in the cramped dungeons beneath the palace. She shoved herself into a sitting position as she strained to see the source of the voice through the darkness.

"Rey?"

Rey's legs shook as she climbed to her feet, her muscles cramped from being curled in on herself. Her hands, though cuffed, were raised cautiously before her as she moved toward the bars trapping her.

"Who's there?" She asked softly.

There was a small exhalation, almost of relief.

"It is you."

Yes, it was her, or what was left of her anyway. She could feel a massive headache from Snoke's intrusion into her mind. The way he ripped apart her memories of moments with Ben had been cruel and dirty and wrong.

She believed Ben would come for her. She just wasn't sure what he would find when he arrived.

"It's Paige," the voice responded.

Rey's mind spun as she tried to place the woman, and then she recalled her.

"Paige," she breathed. She was amazed the girl was still alive as they'd been captured together; it was Paige's sister, Rose, that Rey had allowed herself to be captured in place of.

"Yes. Yes, it's me," Paige said eagerly. Through the darkness she heard others moving about. She'd had only a brief glimpse of the other cells when she'd been pulled down here. She had no idea how many people were trapped with her, or who they were. "What are you doing here? Kylo Ren… we assumed he'd killed you."

Rey shook her head.

"He goes by Ben now. And he would never hurt me."

"He's hurt others," someone else whispered.

Rey shuddered as she rested her head against the bars. These people had seen Ben as his worst. They had witnessed his plunge into depravity and violence. She rubbed her chest over the place where her heart throbbed. What was he like now?

"Was it true then Rey, did you escape?"

"Yes," she breathed.

There was a collective inhalation.

"How?" A man asked hopefully.

"It's a long story."

"We have nothing but time in here."

Rey released a humorless laugh. It was true, there was nowhere for any of them to go right now. She told them about her time with Ben, about Poe coming to rescue her, how her absence had been the catalyst that sent Ben spiraling out of control.

"Will Poe come for you again?" Paige asked hopefully.

Rey hesitated for a moment.

"Ben will." There was a collective inhalation as she continued to speak. "He's not a monster."

"Maybe he's not as bad as Snoke, but he is a monster."

"He's not," Rey insisted. "I know what he has done in the past, but-"

"You don't know all of what he's done," Paige interrupted abruptly. "You weren't here."

Rey wanted to tell her to shut up. She didn't want to hear anymore.

She wasn't a coward though, she'd never backed down from anything before, and she wasn't about to start now. Ben had told her these things already, he'd tried to make her understand what he was capable of. He couldn't go there again.

Dread trickled through her. She needed to get back to him before something terrible happened. She knew that Luke and Leia were operating under the assumption that if they were separated after the war he would be able to keep control, but what if he didn't?

Rey thought he might let her go if she asked him to, he would do anything he could to make her happy, but if she just up and left again, or if she died, he would lose it completely. Snoke had torn her mind to shreds, had cut her off from the Force, and yet she still could feel the bond she had with Ben. He was inside of her, intrinsically ingrained into each of her cells, and the very fabric of her being.

Ben was a part of her, he always would be. She was a fool and an idiot. Even if she obeyed Luke and Leia and left him, even if he succeeded in controlling himself, and they restored order to the galaxy as Jedi, she would never be able to sever the bond between them.

It took everything she had to keep breathing.

He was in her heart, in her soul, and there was no way she was going to abandon him again. She didn't know how Luke and Leia would react to her new decision, and she honestly didn't care.

"We've all made mistakes, Paige. Ben will lead us to a better life though."

"My mistakes didn't involve me murdering someone," another man sternly interjected.

Rey fought the urge to shy away from their resentment and condemnation, gathering her strength as she pressed her forehead to the cool metal bars. She braced herself for their disapproval.

"His mistakes have made Ben who he is. They have made him a leader and they have made him strong. He will come here, and if he is successful, he will free us all."

"And do what with us?" another woman asked. "Kill us?"

"No, he will give us freedom. Real freedom. You can return home, you can stay on this planet, but no matter what you decide, it will be your choice to make."

There was a protracted moment of silence, of breaths held in hope and disbelief. Most everyone here had been a part of the Resistance. This was what they had been fighting and hoping for their entire lives.

"He'll do good, real good for the galaxy," Rey insisted. "Leia believes in him."

There was a shifting and then suddenly a hand seized hold of hers. Rey jumped and bit back a cry as the large hand wrapped around hers. It was a man's hand, calloused and roughened from dirt and labor.

"Leia trusts him?"

"She does," she confirmed as the man's hand tightened around hers. "And so do I."

"He bought you," Paige whispered.

"He saved me," Rey corrected.

"He didn't save the others."

"But he will save the ones that he can, now. I wouldn't lie to you about this, I wouldn't steer you down the wrong path. Right now, Ben is our only hope. How many are down here?"

"There were fifty-two of us, but Walt hasn't returned since they pulled him out yesterday. There will soon be another auction, and there will probably be around another fifty people in here with us after that." Rey's skin crawled. It was awful enough down here now, never mind cramming another fifty people in. "Have you seen my sister, Rey? Have you seen Rose?"

It was the hope in Paige's voice that pierced Rey's morose thoughts, and she was able to smile for the first time since she'd been recaptured.

"Yes, Paige. She's alright. She was on the mission with me when I was captured, but she made it out. You've got one hell of a sister."

Rey listened as Paige began to sob tears of relief.

"What of you, Rey?" A voice asked.

"What of me?"

"You really trust this man?"

Rey didn't hesitate before answering.

"Completely."

A/N - Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

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

~ Elizabeth (FanOfDeliciousFlavour)