Hello! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favourited, and followed. I really appreciate it! I struggled a lot with this chapter for some reason, so it didn't really come out how I wanted it to. But, it didn't stop me adding a whole heaping of angst and fluff! Let me know what you think though, reviews are love!

Present Day

The ship's communicator slowly came to life, and the unmistakable voice of Bazine Netal began to bleed through the static. It was overlaid with the ships onboard translation device; a tinny, robotic sound almost drowning her out when she began to speak,

'What is it you want? Do you have something for me?'

'Not for you, for the First Order. I have information. I know the location of Kylo Ren.'

Rey tracked Leia's ship as it disappeared behind the thick clouds, before making her way inside. Their home was small, barely large enough for the three of them, with only a main living area, bedroom and refresher. Every day it seemed to become more and more cramped, especially now that Anakin was able to crawl around it without having constant supervision.

Ben paced the main room furiously, his eyes half crazed and a sneer spread across his face as he occasionally grabbed a random item and threw it into a nearby bag. His fists were clenched, ready to strike out.

'I know what you want from me, I don't even need to hear your thoughts to know exactly what it is you want. Your pity for those weaker than you was always one of your biggest flaws.' He was like a wounded animal, lashing out at anything that came close. Any conversation or thought he had that touched on his early years caused this reaction and Rey had learned long ago not to take offense when he became like this.

'I would hardy call it a flaw Ben.' She placed Anakin on the rug at the edge of the room, enjoying the small, toothy grin he gave her as he realised she'd sat him amongst his toys. Then, one by one, she began removing the items from the bag her partner had begun to pack, 'And clearly you don't know me so well if you think I want us to just leave here and fly straight to the Resistance. We need a plan.'

'The plan is that we leave tonight. Pack your things, get them on the ship.'

She stared at him incredulously. He was tempestuous and impulsive in his decisions, but to leave their home for no reason other than the fact that Leia knew where they were? It was rash even for him. 'And go where? This is our home.'

'No, this is where we've lived for the past year. It's nothing more. Our home is the three of us. If we stay here, then we might as well invite the whole Resistance here to join us.'

'Wait, what? Ben, just stop for a minute.' She grabbed his arms, stopping his relentless movement. 'She said that the war was coming for us, that the Resistance needs us. You don't think we should at least hear her out?'

His face spoke as if the answer was obvious, 'No. Why should we? She's a Resistance General and she wants soldiers for her war. Gaining two powerful force users would be nothing more than a prize for her. Of course, she's going to say anything she can to get us on her side.'

'She's also your mother.'

Rey regretted her words immediately. His anger flashed through her, red hot. He hated being reminded of his family and seeing his mother had shifted his emotions far closer to the dark than she liked.

Her eyes flickered quickly over to Anakin, he was so sensitive to both of them and she didn't like it when he was affected by his father's temper. Luckily, the boy seemed to be entirely distracted by the toys in front of him, with several now floating gracefully in the air.

Ben raised one of his arms to hers, gripping it tightly, 'No, she isn't.' His voice was low and menacing, one that she hadn't heard directed towards her in a very long time. 'She's many things but that isn't one of them.'

He looked deeply into her eyes, and she could feel his mind reaching out and trying to breech her own. It was his automatic response when he felt threatened, almost as natural to him as breathing, and she wasn't sure if he even realised he was doing it anymore. But like he'd already said, he didn't need his powers to know what she was thinking. He knew her far too well by now. 'This isn't just about listening to what she has to say, is it? You agree with her, you want us to go back to the fighting.'

She shook him off, 'Whether I agree or not is irrelevant. I think that something's happening out there. I told you what the traders have been saying, the First Order are growing every day. We'd be fools to think they'd just leave us alone now, especially if they hear we've been contacted by the Resistance.'

'And whose fault is that if they do?' His voice was rising louder with every word, his emotions and feelings of exasperation hitting her with increasing force. 'By finding out where we are and coming here she's put us all in danger.'

'I'm sure she took precautions to make sure she wouldn't be tracked.' She said with a sigh, 'She wouldn't have lasted this long if she made rookie mistakes like that. Besides, she's a General and the Resistance fighters love her, they wouldn't dare betray her by tracking her ship. They aren't like the First Order'

'After everything's that happened, you don't think there might be one or two people there who would be willing to go through her to get to me?' He scoffed, 'Not one person who would be willing to martyr themselves if they thought it would make them a hero? They've been trying to kill me since the day I first left Luke, why the hell would they stop now?'

His tone was patronising, only serving to make her anger flare to match his, 'Because they might be dedicated to the cause, but they're not stupid. They know that coming against us would be suicidal.'

They glared at each other, both far too stubborn to admit the other may have a point in this argument. Their unwillingness to bend had been the cause of many stalemates in their relationship and it seemed this would just be another to add to the list.

He threw up his arms in frustration, before brushing past her. 'We're not discussing this right now. I want us gone by nightfall, before she has the chance to bring any of her Resistance fighters here.'

'She wouldn't do that, Ben.'

He spun to face her again, his eyes blown wide in disbelief. She'd spent five minutes with the woman and her Resistance three years ago, and yet she was acting like one of her soldiers, sworn to defend her. How could she be so naïve? 'You have no idea what that woman's capable of. You think she became the leader of those thieves and murderers because what… because she's a princess? Because she's a peaceful diplomat? She doesn't care about us, either of us, we're expendable to her. She'll do whatever it takes to get the results she wants.'

'Not to us, she wouldn't.' And as Ben stormed away from her, Rey could feel a small part of herself that resented Leia's fresh involvement in their life. The same part of her that thought that maybe, she'd only been defending the General because once they began fighting, it was her default setting to just argue with whatever Ben had to say. It had been a long time since they'd fought like this, and they'd been happy on Nocoma, just the three of them. And now here she was, fighting to get them back into the war they'd left behind just because Leia had asked her to.

Their ship, an old First Order cargo ship, stood stark and silhouetted against the night sky. Since 'inheriting' it almost a year before, Ben had spent a lot of his time working on it, both because he enjoyed it and because it helped to calm his stormy nature. The onboard trackers had been the first thing to go, as well as anything else that could link it back to the First Order. By nightfall, the few possessions they'd chosen to take with them were safely stowed onboard, and the ship lifted away from the planet's surface.

Rey was silent in the co-pilot's seat, trying to keep her emotions at bay. She could barely believe that only that morning she'd woken as though it were any other day, peace being a luxury they'd fought so long to obtain. And now here she was. Yet another home she had created for herself that she was being forced to leave.

Ben reached for her hand over the console, squeezing it tightly, 'Maybe one day we'll come back here.'

They both knew his words were just a lie meant to comfort. 'No.' She said resolutely, 'We won't.' Deep down, she knew that leaving was the logical choice, and they had benched their argument for the time being, but it didn't make it any easier to let go of her anger towards him.

It wasn't long before the planet disappeared from view.

They sat in silence, each preferring their own company to each other's for a while, before Anakin began to fuss in his seat in the main part of the ship, his whimpers soon becoming full on wails. Ben made to move from his seat, and she put her hand out to him.

'Stop, I'll get it.' She needed some time away from the ship controls. At least then it wouldn't feel so much like she'd had a hand in their leaving her beloved planet.

She walked over to him, and he began waving his fists at her, desperate for attention. She released him from his seat, holding him to her closely. His mind was open, and it only took a second to realise that something was wrong. She dug a little deeper, trying to find whatever it was that was distressing him so greatly. She found it quickly enough.

'No.' She suddenly gasped.

The distinctive whine of tie fighter engines rang through the ship, and she saw two of them shoot past the front view screen.

Ben's hands grip on the controls tightened. She felt his fear, knowing that it mirrored her own entirely.

'They won't just attack us for no reason.' Rey said, though at this point she wasn't sure if she was talking to Ben or herself, 'They don't even know who we are. For all they know we're just traders or something.'

The fighters banked round, heading straight for the back of the ship where there was less likely to be a strong defence. They were so far out of First Order territory that it would have been nearly impossible for them to get here without a star destroyer nearby to help. And the First Order wouldn't have sent a destroyer out into the middle of nowhere unless they had a good reason. There were no coincidences here.

'They know exactly who we are. Strap him in then get up here.' He shouted.

Their own small vessel was equipped with weaponry, but only the basics given to all First Order cargo ships, plus what little Ben had been able to trade for from their remote planet. The shields were slightly better, but if the star destroyers managed to reach them before they had the chance to jump to hyperspace, then they'd have no chance.

As the first shot hit the hull, Rey fell to her knees, Anakin pressed tightly to her chest. Everything began shaking violently, as the fighters began to press their advantage, chasing and firing continuously on their small ship. Ben's force and piloting skills would give them a small advantage, but without a strong arsenal what could they do?

Anakin's small hands clung desperately to her shirt, as he pressed his face tightly into the crook of her neck. The ship began dodging and weaving as Ben tried to avoid the approaching tie fighters' shots, throwing Rey across the room. He would apologise for that later.

'Get him strapped down, now!' Ben roared from the front of the ship, fighting his own battle with the controls. She staggered to her feet and grabbed onto the nearest seat to steady herself. Anakin's hands still had a tight grip on her, but she forced herself to ignore his cries as she removed him and forced him down into the seat. After strapping him in securely, she made her way on shaky legs to the cockpit.

'Now take over.' He said to her unexpectedly.

'What?' What the hell was he planning?

'Just listen to me for once and do it!' Rey replaced him in the pilot's seat, as he jumped on as co-pilot. She'd never flown the ship before, and it took her a moment to acquaint herself with the layout of the controls. A moment too long though, as another shot hit them from behind.

'Can you actually fly the damn thing!' He shouted, and she automatically turned to respond, stopping herself before she could.

He'd gone silent, his face scrunched up in concentration and sweat beading on his forehead. It was only then that Rey realised she could feel his powers flowing through her. He was using them to start pushing back at the fighters. It wasn't enough to stop their engines, but it was certainly enough to throw off their aim as their speed and trajectory became erratic. His fingers were dancing across the control panel in front of him and a mechanical whirring began under their feet.

'What's going on?' She asked. Even with his help, it was taking all of her skills to avoid the constant shots of the fighters.

'Not now.' He ground out, 'When I tell you, reverse the thrusters and keep the ship steady.'

He wanted her to just fly in a straight line? They'd be dead in seconds with the number of shots the fighters were still firing at them, hoping that with quantity they would hit something. She was putting all her faith in him, hoping that whatever crazy plan he had would actually work. 'Okay.' She said determinedly.

The whirring finally came to a halt with another juddering thud. Another shot hit the ship, sending them both forward in their seats and destroying the last of his concentration.

'Fuck!' He shouted, 'Now!'

She slammed the thrusters into reverse, the whole ship seeming to come to a stop. The fighters carried on, flying straight past them. Their courses were straightening out now that Ben had lost his control over them, their pilots regaining their bearings. But it was too late. Lasers began rapid firing from their ship, directly into the tie fighters. Within seconds, both had exploded in a shower of sparks and metal.

Rey slumped back into her seat, grabbing a short moment to relax. They were safe for now, but it wouldn't be long before more arrived to check on their missing comrades. Ben jumped up from his seat, swaying slightly from the exhaustion that always came with overextending his powers.

'Get us out of here.' His voice was disturbingly absent, as were his emotions from Rey's mind. He turned from her and stormed away to the back of the ship.

She set them to full power, but with no course heading entered. They still hadn't discussed where it was they were going to go now that they had abandoned their home, but she knew that that conversation would have to wait until later.

With the chaos finally over, Rey noticed that Anakin's cries continued to echo, and she ran to him. She brushed his hair off his face, there were a few small bruises but nothing serious. It could have been so much worse, and she let out the breath she didn't know she'd been holding. She began murmuring to him, trying to calm him down. Ben was suddenly behind her, watching his son closely as she stroked soothingly over his injuries.

Rey sensed Ben's lightsaber even before she heard the distinctive crackle of its shattered kyber crystal, as it roared to life behind her. The red light cast an eerie glow in the tight space of the ship. His hand was gripping the handle tightly, desperate to strike out and destroy something, anything within reach. His knowledge that doing so could damage their ship irreparably and hurt both her and Anakin was barely holding him back.

'Rey.' He called out quietly to her for help. He needed her.

She ran to him, ignoring the heat of the lightsaber now held close to her thigh, and pressed her hands to his face. She pulled him down to her, forcing their foreheads together and opening her mind to him.

Through the bond she sent waves of her own energy, hoping in some way to calm him down. She knew that he wouldn't hurt them, not intentionally anyway. But he had lost control before, and in these moments, she understood that it was taking everything he had to restrain his emotions.

Rey had only heard the voices once before, at the beginning of their relationship. They wormed their way into his head and screamed at him in his darkest moments; a remnant of his time with Snoke that they both knew he'd be fighting for the rest of his life.

'Kill her. She will only slow you down. With her by your side, they will find you. You are weaker now, and they will kill you in her place.'

'You had everything with the dark side. The power you held, it was magnificent! You should be ruling the galaxy! You are the Skywalker heir; it is your birth right. And if she will not willingly rule with you, then take her! Force her hand, you have the power.'

But Ben had told her, not long after Anakin had been born, that over the time they'd been together, the voices had slowly changed. They didn't want him to hurt her anymore, or their son. Instead their anger had been turned against the rest of the galaxy, ordering him to kill anyone who would try to touch his family. It was almost a noble sentiment, but she knew that following it would undoubtedly lead him on the path to the dark side once again.

'I'm here. We're here. We're all safe.' She murmured quietly to him, stroking his hair with one hand.

'They'll never stop coming for us, will they? And I can't… I can't protect you both like this.'

'Ben, you can. You do.' He breathed deeply for a moment, taking in the sight of her before him. Even with bruises forming, her hair dishevelled and bathed in the red glow of his lightsaber, she was so beautiful. She was his light, leading him through the darkness of the galaxy and he would do anything to keep her safe.

He suddenly pulled away from her, powering down his lightsaber and heading towards the cockpit of the ship. Despite clearly wanting to be left alone now, she followed right on his heels. He was frustratingly mercurial. There was silence for a while, Ben was deep in his own thoughts, but eventually Rey felt she had to disturb him to ask the question that had bothering her most.

'They wouldn't have shot at us if they weren't certain that it was us on this ship. Hell, they wouldn't even have been in the area, we're hours away from the nearest First Order base. How did they know?'

'I don't know for sure.' He replied pensively, 'but I have an idea. Contact the General, we're going to speak with her. Somewhere remote.' He paused for a second, looking at the galaxy map that had appeared in front of them, 'tell her we'll meet her on Endor. If she wants our help, then she'll get it, but I don't want the Resistance involved, only her.'

Ben looked down at his family, cuddled together on the single bunk. Rey was curled up tight, her back pressed against the wall. It was a habit, she'd told him, that she'd developed to deal with the cold nights on Jakku and had just never grown out of. In between them lay their son, sprawled out on his back. His tiny breaths were muffled by the fist pressed into his mouth, and Ben gently pulled the hand away. It took him a moment longer than necessary to let go. Anakin's forehead scrunched up a little at the disturbance, but within a matter of seconds Ben could feel that he'd fallen back into a deep sleep.

He threw off the blankets and stood up, rolling his stiff shoulders that had been cramped for too long in the small bed. He was only wearing his black sleep pants and the ship felt much colder away from the warmth of his family. He wandered over to the front view screen, looking out into the darkness of space.

Somewhere out there, there was a war raging. Both sides wanted him dead, and neither could be trusted to take care of Anakin if the unthinkable were to happen to both himself and Rey. Their son was powerful, too powerful. The little boy had been manipulating the force since before he'd been born.

Ben could still remember the first time he'd felt the tiny fledgling mind brush up against his own, as if the child had suddenly become aware of the outside world and was desperate to explore it further. It was the same sort of power that had drawn Snoke to himself all those years before.

He had been a fool to think that they could just run away and leave the galaxy. Life was rarely that fair, even to those like Rey who had unquestionably earned their peace and happiness.

Ben had already made his decision. He was going to protect them, even if he had to destroy the galaxy to do so. His soul was already stained black by his past deeds, but her and Anakin were innocents. No one would take them from him, and he would give them the lives that they deserved.

And the first step to that was contacting the Resistance…