A/N - Welcome back to the story! Get ready for the reunion you've all been waiting for!
Ben could barely believe what he was seeing as Rey burst free of the servant's tunnel. Seeming to sense his presence, she turned toward him. Hope and terror radiated from her brilliant hazel eyes as she gazed at him. Even filthy, with her hair tangled around her dirt streaked skin, she was still the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.
Beneath the dirt he saw the bruises and blood that ran up and down her arms and across her face. He couldn't bring himself to think about the abuse she had suffered, what else they might have done to her. All he longed for was to get his hands on her again, and to get her out of here alive.
If at all possible.
She took a step toward him as Hux emerged from the servant's quarters right behind her, lifting her up and throwing her to the ground.
Ben's vision became a shade of crimson as a bellow tore from him. He lunged forward, shoving through the guards closest to him as he felt the monster within take over and all his control slip away.
Rey's frightened cry drove him heedlessly onward. All he cared about was getting to her, and destroying anyone that had dared to touch her. The guards slashed at him with their spears, and Ben was too rushed to avoid the blows, one of them landing on his shoulder. He was vaguely aware of Finn and Poe fighting alongside him as he tore mercilessly through the guards.
He lost sight of her as he was engulfed by more soldiers. Another spear hit his calf, driving him briefly to his left knee. Pain lanced through him, but he forced himself back to his feet and resumed fighting. The guards approached him with far more confidence than they had before.
"No!" Rey's scream was frenzied and raw with terror. "Stop it! You're hurting him!"
Ben glanced up, catching a brief glimpse of Rey as she tussled against Hux's hold before the soldiers surrounded him once more.
Panic tore through Rey as she watched Ben go down on the marble floor. A scream of anguish ripped from her. They were killing him, and he kept trying to get up and reach her. It was becoming devastatingly obvious that there were too many of them, he was simply outnumbered by the soldiers swarming him.
Hux was grinning maliciously as he grabbed hold of her. Reacting on instinct and rushing adrenaline, she tried to drive her knee into his tender groin region again but he was better prepared this time. He slapped her fist away from its trajectory toward his face as she tried to change tactics. She lunged at him, throwing him a little off balance as she shoved her weight against him.
Every dirty trick she had learned on Jakku sprang to her mind as she sought to free herself from him. Hux was expecting her to go for his groin again, and she made a feigning attempt at it. His hands dropped, leaving his face, and her intended area of attack, exposed.
Rey hooked her fingers and went straight for his eyes.
Hux howled as she clawed ferociously at him, until he threw his arms up and knocked her away from him. The jarring impact caused her arms to go numb as she stumbled backward. His hands flew to his face; she hadn't blinded him, but she'd injured him enough that blood pooled from his battered right eye. Rey was not fooled into thinking it would distract him for long.
Rey turned and darted away from him. Her heart hammered as she spotted Ben somehow finding the power to rise to his feet once more and take down two more guards.
She threw herself forward, rolling across the ground as she avoided the searching grasp of one of the guards. Grasping hold of a spear with her cuffed hands she staggered back to her feet as she ran for Ben, adrenaline and terror giving her a speed she didn't know she'd possessed until this moment. All of her injuries and exhaustion was forgotten as power surged through her.
Toward the back of the room she spotted Finn and Poe. They had already been taken down, and were surrounded by guards, bloodied and beaten. Her chest constricted as she realized she was about to lose almost everyone she loved today.
Ben tossed aside a guard and lurched toward her. A soldier who had the misfortune of getting in his way was easily disposed of as Ben hacked at him with his new saber. Rey heaved the spear at another guard, driving it deep into his chest. She ripped it free as Ben went down again, having taken a blow to the torso.
Rey was dimly aware of the fact that the soldiers must have orders to take them alive, otherwise they would all be dead by now. Ben was powerful, the floor was littered with the guards he'd destroyed, but ultimately he was outnumbered.
But then none of it mattered as she was almost there. She could almost feel him again. She barely spotted the guard that stepped in front of her, barely realized he was there even as she heaved the spear at him.
Rey fell to her knees, tears burning her throat as she flung herself into Ben's open arms. A sob tore from her, she'd never felt anything as magnificent as his body molded perfectly against hers. Ben waved a hand over her wrists and the hated cuffs finally fell to the floor with a clatter, and then she was clutching at his back as she was immediately enveloped by his love.
He bent over her, clasping her tightly as he cradled the base of her head against his chest and buried his face in her hair. She couldn't get enough of him, simply couldn't touch him or feel him enough.
"Rey," he groaned, his lips warm against her ear.
The ragged relief and pleasure in his voice almost completely undid her as her hands rapidly fluttered over him. They were going to die, but at least they would have this moment, this one last time, and she so desperately needed it as she clung to him.
She wished she'd never listened to Luke or Leia. That she had never tried to distance herself from him. She'd been foolish to think she ever could have let him go, or that he would be able to do the same.
Touching him and holding him now was the best thing Rey had ever felt. She'd never thought to experience love in the first place, much less this kind of love, with him, a man who had taught her there was far more to life, and the galaxy, than she'd ever imagined. A man who had taught her that not everything was black and white, good and evil.
There were shades of grey, there were in-betweens, and there were colors she'd never dreamed of. Colors that he'd shown her in the garden, worlds and experiences he'd opened to her when he'd taught her to read, love he'd given to her freely over and over again with his understanding, patience, and countless sacrifices he'd made for her.
Now they were here, back where it had all started, and where it would finally end one way or another.
"You shouldn't have come." She buried her face in his neck. She couldn't get close enough to him.
"I will always come for you."
Yes, he would. No matter what Luke and Leia and the others had thought, he always would have come for her, and she would always welcome him.
"You shouldn't have brought Finn and Poe."
"I could no more have stopped them than I could have stopped you if the roles were reversed."
A harsh laugh escaped her at the truth of his words.
"Luke and Leia are okay?" She asked worriedly, though she knew they would be leading the battle.
"They were fine the last time I saw them."
From the corner of her eye she saw the soldiers narrowing in, their weapons raised with deadly intent. Her fingers were trembling; she should pull away, she should release him, but she couldn't bring herself to let him go. Not yet, she wasn't ready to say goodbye.
"Hold." She was dimly aware that it was Snoke who had spoken the word, but she didn't care about the reason why he had chosen to give them this reprieve. She was certain he had some ulterior motive, but he didn't matter, the men surrounding them didn't matter, not anymore.
A warm wetness pressed against her skin. Rey didn't have to pull back to know that his blood was soaking through his clothes into hers. Another small sob escaped her, and she clutched more frantically at him.
"Don't leave me," she whispered.
"Never," he groaned against her ear. "No matter what happens, I will always be with you, Rey. Always."
His shirt collar was growing wet with her tears.
"Always," she breathed,
His lips pressed against her ear, her cheek, and then his mouth was upon hers. It was meant to only be a chaste, loving kiss, one of goodbye, but the minute his lips touched hers, her body reacted as if it had been struck by lightning. She flattened against him as waves of passion and love cascaded through her, leaving her boneless and limp. She clutched at him torn between wanting to scream from the injustice of it all and wanting to rip this room apart with her bare hands.
Unfair, it was all unfair. Life was unfair, she'd always known that, but she'd hoped that just this once it would work in their favor.
No matter what happened after, she would always have the memory of this kiss and the taste of him. She would always have these few short moments and their love to help her get through it.
Ben broke away, shaking as his hands cradled her face. She lifted her eyes to his, relieved to see the beautiful brown eyes she cherished so much. He pressed another tender kiss briefly against her quivering lips.
"I love you," he whispered.
More tears spilled free at his words, but then Rey looked down and horror filled her at the sight. He was dying, she was certain of it, as the stain of his blood spread across his chest and torso. A strangled cry escaped her, but he seized hold of her hands as she fumbled to try to staunch the flow of blood.
"I'll be okay, sweetheart, don't worry about me."
"No," she whimpered, knowing that he lied. "Ben, let me help you. Let me heal you."
He hesitated, and she knew he was worried about the strain it would have on her to divert some of her life force to him. Eventually, he nodded, pressing his lips to hers once more before letting Rey begin to concentrate.
As he healed and their minds and spirits intermingled, Rey was consumed by Ben's love for her. The intensity of the emotion left her trembling, and shaken, but also stronger.
Rey knew in that moment that she would never again lose Ben to the dark side. He wouldn't be overcome by the anger and darkness rolling through him; an anger he harbored toward his cruel master, and a darkness that broke free of him every time he felt her life was in jeopardy. He could easily lose himself, but he wouldn't, not with her here to help pull him back. Even now, in the middle of this whole mess, there was still hope, and a growing understanding of who she was, of who he was, and what they were together.
Rey knew, because she knew him, that whatever happened from this point on Ben wouldn't be driven by fury and hatred, but by love. And love was by far the stronger motivator.
It was something Snoke didn't understand, and it was their most powerful asset.
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)