Hi everyone! As always, I'm incredibly grateful to everyone who has favourited, followed, and especially reviewed, it means the world to me to read your comments.

Okay, so the rating has now changed to M, but I'll admit that I've never ever written a lemon before. I cannot tell you how difficult this has been to write guys!

Let me know what you think though. Reviews are love!

Present Day…

The lights in the room dimmed, and the large holotable in front of them slowly whirred to life. It projected an image of the Finalizer, spinning in place, and began sending the statistical readouts of the ship to the five holopads connected to it.

The small group were meeting for the final time on one of the moons of Teth. The planet was right on the edge of wild space, close to where the Finalizer had last been spotted by the Resistance spies and deep in Hutt territory. It was something that made Leia nervous, and with the major details of their attack having already been worked out over encrypted communications, she wanted their briefing to be over quickly.

'The Resistance fighters will create the distraction you need to get on board. The First Order have advanced weaponry, as I'm sure you know.'

Poe looked at Ben as he said this, and he dug his nails into his palms to force himself to ignore the barbed comment. 'And their point-defence cannons are powerful. They won't be able to hit us at close range, but they'll certainly do some damage when we first get come onto their scanners. The fight won't last too long once they send out their TIEs, so your entry window will be small.'

Poe pointed to certain sections of the map, small squadrons of x-wings appearing from nowhere to digitally attack the much larger ship. Rey only hoped the battle would go as smoothly as it was in the picture before her.

'We'll come in low here and here. We want to draw as much attention to ourselves as we can without making it look like we're there as a diversion, so we're going to go after their cannons. Our fighters will be able to get through their shields no problem, but obviously any heavy artillery from our bigger ships will be useless.'

More ships appeared on the screen, and it surprised Rey that the Resistance had gone from nothing to being so well prepared in just three short years. Poe continued, 'A third squadron will enter from above, and head straight for the bridge. It'll be particularly well shielded and I doubt our weapons will cause much damage, at least not before you both have the chance to do what you need to do and leave.'

Leia stood slowly from her seat at the table, looking over at Poe. 'Our cruiser will be waiting for your return out of range of the Finalizer's scanners.' Leia added. 'When you make your retreat, head to the ship. That far away from their main fleet we'll be able to give covering fire and target any TIE's that might follow you.'

As the only person at the table not to have some sort military background or training, Rey knew she was out of her depth with the strategizing. She was much more comfortable with a weapon in her hand and a clear target to follow, and she was tired of pretending otherwise. She shrugged. 'This is great and all, but how exactly does it help us to get on board?'

Finn looked at her sympathetically, understanding only too well the feelings of a person thrown into something they were unfamiliar with, and then just being expected to deal with the situation.

'A constant barrage of attacks from our fighters will light up their shield readouts. They won't be able to tell one attack from another out there.'

'And they also won't notice our ship penetrating their shields when they've already got three dozen x-wings attacking them from all sides.' Ben continued. His intimate knowledge of the Finalizer had been instrumental in constructing their plan, so he already knew it well.

'Exactly.' Finn grumbled, not happy at being interrupted.

Poe slapped him on the shoulder and gave him a small smile, which the younger man couldn't help but return. They'd known going into this that working with Kylo Ren- after what had happened to Han they were still unwilling him to acknowledge him as a Solo- wasn't going to be easy. But they needed to do their best for Chewie, Leia and Rey's sakes.

Poe looked over to his rival. 'We'll do as many runs as we can to give you the time you need to get on board, but I don't want to lose my pilots to it. The second you've landed, you need to make contact with us, so we can pull out.'

'And how do we do that? If they notice any unauthorised communications leaving the ship and going straight to the fighters attacking them, they're bound to realise that we're on board.' Rey asked.

They'd been discussing this exact point since they'd first come up with their plan, and unfortunately, Ben had only been able to think of one answer. He looked across the table towards the General, her face half masked by the schematics and bathed in its blue light, and saw that she'd already been staring at him. They'd clearly come to the same conclusion, but he didn't like it.

'Ben will make sure I get the message, then I can pass it on to you, commander.' Leia said with certainty.

Poe looked confused but decided to keep his mouth shut and just nodded along. He'd heard of Leia's powers years before he'd joined the Resistance, had even seen them first hand with her miraculous survival on the Raddus. But their time together hadn't made him anymore knowledgeable about the force, and he had no wish to know more about something that could corrupt so easily when used by the wrong people.

He relaxed his expression, and Leia continued with the plan. 'When you're in, you need to get down to the detention level.' Leia tapped the holopad in front of her and the map swivelled round, zooming in on the area she was talking about. She didn't need to go into detail on how to get there, everyone in the room knew that Ben already had precise knowledge of that area of the ship.

'And you're sure that's where he'll be? With the texts to find as well, we won't have time to be searching the entire ship for him.' Ben stated harshly.

'Our intelligence from inside the Order…' Leia began.

'You have spies inside the order?' Ben's voice was even and controlled, but Leia could see in his eyes that he was curious. Some things didn't change, even with age.

'Don't underestimate the Resistance or the number of people who want the First Order gone.' Her small smile was that of a mother teaching her child a lesson, and Ben dipped his head slightly in shame.

It was only a tiny gesture, one that would have gone unnoticed by anyone else but the people who had watched him grow, yet it warmed Leia's heart. It was the first time she'd seen from him that he regretted his choices, the mistakes he'd made in his past, and it gave her hope. Hope that behind the anger and pain, her boy was still in there, and everything she was doing to secure his future was worth it.

'As I was saying, our intelligence officers updated us a few hours ago. There have been a large number of injuries reported from troopers stationed in the detention block. We suspect this might be down to Chewie's… reluctance to being detained.'

'Great.' Ben replied sarcastically, 'so we're heading into First Order space, risking our lives to save that damn Wookie, and we just need to hope that he's there.'

His face had gone from contrite to sneering in a matter of seconds, and even though she'd seen these sudden mood swings multiple times since she'd made contact, it still shocked her. His emotions had always been volatile, but his years with the dark side had made them even more so.

'Rebellions are built on hope, Ben.' She said seriously.

His fists slammed down on the table, and the whole room seemed to shake with the force of his sudden anger. When his voice came out it was low and quiet. 'I'm not a part of your rebellion, General. I'm in this solely for Rey.'

Rey leaned over to him, wrapping her hands around his upper arm to distract him and get his attention to move to her. But before she could do more, Finn leapt up, and it only seemed to be Poe's quick actions in holding him back that stopped him running around the table.

'You're only in this so you can get your hands on those texts. You don't give a fuck about Rey. You don't give a fuck about Chewie or what happens to him!' Finn shouted at him, his hands turning into fists where they were gripping onto the arm Poe had around his chest.

'You're right, I don't care about the Wookie. Rey does, but I don't. And if when we're there we're forced to make a choice between him or getting those texts, then I won't hesitate to leave him behind.'

Rey's head shot up at the words, shocked that he would say such things aloud. He knew better than anyone that if they failed to rescue Chewie, Hux was unlikely to keep him alive long enough for a second attempt.

But as Ben brought his hand up to his forehead and forcefully rubbed it, frustrated with himself, she could tell that the words had only been said in the heat of the moment. The fire in his mind quickly burned down, and once he'd composed himself he mouthed a small 'I'm sorry' in her direction. She squeezed his arm tightly and was reassured when he placed his other hand atop hers and squeezed back.

Leia really did want to be out of Hutt space as quickly as possible, but she waited for Rey and Poe to calm their respective partners down before she continued. 'We have a ship waiting for you in the fleet. The weapons are minimal to reduce its chance of detection, but it's also small and fast.'

'No.' Ben insisted. 'If we're doing this then we're taking our own ship. It's been modified extensively and both Rey and I are comfortable flying it. Besides, I won't fly in a ship that doesn't at least have the capacity to take down any TIEs that come after us.'

'I don't think that's such a good idea...' Leia began, but once again Ben cut her off. He hated to admit it, but he knew the General much too well to not know exactly where her thoughts were going.

'You mean you don't want those texts in the hands of someone you can't control, on a ship you can't track. Don't worry General, we'll still have a Wookie to drop off when we're finished. You'll be seeing us again.'

They both moved methodically around the ship, going step by step to make sure everything was set for the attack on the Finalizer. The plan was for them to stay out of the fray, to focus solely on getting aboard and carrying out their mission. But they had been left under prepared before and they had no wish to find themselves cornered again and without the proper weaponry to protect themselves.

Both were silent, their thoughts focused entirely on the work at hand. But for Rey this was becoming more and more of a struggle, as she tried to calm the thoughts rushing through her brain. There were so many questions she still had of him, so many words left unspoken.

'I can hear your thoughts from across the ship.' His voice said quietly from over her shoulder. 'You're worried about tomorrow.'

He was right, she was worried, but it had little to do with the success or failure of their mission. She was worried only about him. His hands rose to rest on her upper arms and they were so warm, as always. He bent his head down low, pressing feather light kisses against her shoulders.

He began to move up to her neck and she instinctively moved her head to the side to give him better access. As he reached the weak spot behind the shell of her ear and nuzzled gently against it, a small moan left her lips. She could feel his smirk, hear the quiet noise so close to her ear. And as much as she loved to hear it, it irritated her when her reactions made him smug.

Rey felt a hand press against her chin, pushing her face into his. His lips moved to hers, hovering over them and teasing her with the lack of contact, but they both knew he would cave first. He always did, and this time was no exception.

Their lips slotted together, and not for the first time she wondered at the softness she felt there. Her body turned into his, and her arms raised to wrap around his neck. She felt his tongue press firmly against the seam of her closed mouth, pleading for entrance, but she wouldn't grant it to him. She was busy.

His teeth nipped lightly at her bottom lip as she began to pull away and his hands snaked around her waist, both unconscious attempts to make her stay right there with him.

When she spoke, she tried to project a voice unaffected by his actions, but it came out breathless and needy, her eyelids near fluttering with the effort of staying open. 'We still have things we need to do.'

'Yes, we do.' He replied, but his version of acquiescence wasn't exactly what she'd had in mind.

His head dove down to the juncture between her neck and shoulder, sucking on her pulse point before gently laving the red mark he'd made with his tongue. The contrast between the cold durasteel at her back and the warmth of his body fitted against her felt incredible, and any complaints she had turned to ash in her mouth.

Already she could feel the wetness between her thighs growing at the thought of them having this final night to lose themselves in each other. There had been so much uncertainty in their lives since Leia had returned, and maybe his way of dealing with it wasn't that bad. Or at least it would give her a few hours to forget that the fate of the galaxy may once again rest on their shoulders.

His hand moved down to the bottom of her shirt, slowly creeping it up her stomach. But the pace he was setting was quickly becoming too slow for her, and she only managed to growl out the word 'off' before she grabbed the hem and tugged it over her head herself. She hummed her pleasure and he felt her thread her fingers through his hair as he slowly kissed his way down her newly bared chest.

His tongue reached her breast, flicking lightly over her nipple and causing a surprised gasp to leap out of her throat. And when he moved over to suckle on the other, his hands simultaneously reaching down to release the button on her trousers and open them up, his name was ripped from her in a slow groan.

Fuck, he loved the noises she made.

'Ben,' She whispered. 'You too.' And she began pulling at his own shirt, already damp with their sweat. He pulled back for just a moment to wrench it off, not wanting to waste even a second of the time he had with her.

She lifted her leg, hooking it tightly around his waist and using the leverage to pull him as close to her as she could with his mouth and hands back on her breasts. The new position allowed her to feel all of him pressing against her core, and she pushed a hand into her mouth to stifle the moan that rattled out of her throat.

But Ben wasn't having it and he raised himself back up, thrusting his hand into her hair, grabbing what he could and yanking her head back sharply. He adored those noises, knowing that it was him and only him in the galaxy who could make her lose control in this way.

'Look at me.' He growled, and she forced her eyelids to open. His pupils had overtaken the rest of his eyes, now almost completely black, and she knew that if she'd had a mirror she would see the exact same thing reflected back at her. He ground his hips a few times into hers, desperate to hear the moans she'd been denying him.

'I need to see you.' He ground out. 'I need to hear you.'

He seemed so sure of himself, so certain he had the upper hand here, as though he could demand anything of her and she would comply. And It made Rey feel good that he didn't need to hold these parts of himself back with her. That he could be rough with her, trusting that she would stop him if she needed to. In this at least, there was no pretending between them.

It didn't mean she wouldn't fight back though- that wasn't in the nature of a scavenger like her.

Suddenly, a flood of images inundated his mind, memories of their times together and wishes for their future, freezing his whole body and causing his eyes to flicker back and forth as they flashed by.

…Rey stood with her forehead pressed against the wall, his hand grabbing her breast hard and rolling the nipple between his fingers, as his other hand began its tortuously slow journey south…

…Ben returning early and catching her alone in the shower, capturing her gasps with his lips pressed firmly against her own, before pulling her closer to him and letting her feel just how much he needed her in that moment…

…The fire roaring behind them in their home on Nocoma. His hands warm and roaming between her back and her hips as she slowly lowered herself down onto him. They had all the time in the world, and she wanted to draw every moan she could out of this wonderful man beneath her, to show him how much she adored him and all that he was…

Rey had never been one to just sit back and take his attempts to dominate her and their relationship, and he had no doubt that those first two memories had been sent to prove the power she also held over him. But the small, gentle smile that crossed her lips told him everything he needed to know about that final scene.

The last memory had been from just a few weeks before. Anakin had been put to sleep, and with nothing else drawing their attention, they'd curled up together in front of the fire. It hadn't taken long for small searching touches to turn into cries of need and desperation. It warmed him to know that she felt just as strongly about their time together on that tiny planet in that tiny run-down cottage as he did. That rather than the home they left behind, her strongest and most vivid memories were just of them being together.

His mouth found hers again, but rather than the passion they'd both been fighting with earlier, this time his kisses were tender, and when his tongue begged for entrance she didn't deny him a second time. He dragged his hands over her sides, revelling in the goose bumps they left in their wake, and tugged on her trousers. He pulled them over her bottom, and she used her legs to do the rest and kick them across the room as he moved to work on his own.

When they were finally naked, she wasted no time in throwing her leg back to its previous position around his waist, unwilling to lose the feeling of him against her. But she didn't expect to feel his fingers inch closer and closer to her centre, now pressed so closely to him, parting her slowly and swiping one from back to front. It shocked a sharp cry from her throat, she was already so wet and so sensitive and so ready for him, and her knees buckled slightly.

He brought the offending digit up to their faces, pulling his lips away from her mouth to study the moisture gathered there. It glistened in the low lights of the cabin, and he used it to paint her lips, swooping in to capture them and the taste of her gathered there.

'Stop teasing me, Ben.' She whispered against him as he took his chance to breathe. 'I need you.' And that was enough to undo him completely, his sudden moan fanning his breath across her face.

He gripped her other leg, bringing it up to his hips, and she clasped his ankles together at his back. He pulled them both away from the wall, and the sudden absence of something firm at her back caused her to grab onto him even more tightly. With every step he took she felt his hard length sliding against her folds and pressing up against that sensitive little nub, triggering stars behind her eyelids and causing her to gasp sharply against his shoulder.

For Ben it was near torture, his arms shaking not with the effort of carrying her, she was too small to be any sort of challenge, but with the effort it took not to just slide into her right then. She was velvet against his body, and the warmth and light in his mind.

But he resisted because she deserved his love and his undivided attention tonight, and so he walked them over to the bed. He sat himself down on the edge with her in his lap. He wanted to see her face when he entered her, wanted to feel her body pressed as closely as it could be above him as she came.

Her knees and shins rested against the bed on either side of his hips, and she tested the leverage she had in this new position by lifting herself up and dragging herself slowly down against his length. It was so close to where he wanted to be, and he exhaled shakily at the sensation, instinctively pressing his face against her shoulder for just a second before forcing himself to look back up.

His large hands grabbed her waist, easily lifting her and pressing her back down, coating himself in the liquid leaking from her. This time, he couldn't stop the sharp grunt that escaped him. She was so wet, already so ready for him, and he could hear her keening over the bond.

She threaded her fingers through his hair, but this time it was so much gentler. She pulled them softly through the strands as he continued his grinding against her. As his rhythm increased though, her fingers started to reflexively tighten and release, pulling on them and causing his head to jerk backwards in time with his thrusts. His pleasure was mixed with the pain coming from his scalp, and the grunts coming from his throat were sounding increasingly frantic. The noises he made were exquisite.

'Please.' He groaned into the air, his head thrown back. There was nothing more arousing in the galaxy than the sound of the once terrifying Kylo Ren begging her for more. Asking her for whatever she would give him, when once he had threatened that he could take whatever he wanted.

'I need to see you' She repeated his earlier words, and he pulled his head sluggishly forward to look at her. She leaned forward to whisper in his ear, humming in pleasure as the change in position changed the angle at which he was pressed against her. 'I need you inside me, Ben.'

Without a word, she reached down and took him in hand, stroking him a few times before guiding him in.

She was silken and so wonderfully warm, taking him inch by inch until he was seated fully inside of her. No matter how many times they were together, this was the moment that affected him most. He could feel her pulse surrounding him, reminding him that, despite everything that had happened to them, she was alive. They were both alive and they had each other. They belonged to each other.

She started moving slowly, feeling his shaking breaths blowing across her, and feeling their sweat soaked skin sliding against each other. Her rhythm was awkward at first, their position on the edge of the bed not giving her enough leverage to move as she wanted to without his help. But as always, he could sense exactly what she needed from him without a single word passing between them and his grip on her hips tightened as he lent his own strength to her movements.

He thrust slowly, a steady rhythm building between them of long, intense thrusts that had her thighs squeezing around him, and moments of retreat which caused her to whimper with her desperation to have him back inside of her.

Inevitably, it didn't take her long to feel the white heat growing deep in her belly, spreading out and threatening to overtake her. She clenched her inner walls around him as he entered her again, and the unexpected tightness of her had him crying out. Her name leaked from his lips, a prayer muttered against her skin amidst a litany of broken words and half-finished sentences.

'I love you.' She whispered. 'So very much.' And the words caused his hips to stutter as he began to lose control of himself.

She could feel his mind instinctively wrapping like a snake, tighter and tighter around her own, and where once it had scared her to be so under his control, years of being together had shown her how to fight against his darker side when it came out. It wanted to keep her all to himself, wanted to possess her completely, and it needed to be put back in place before it could take over him. She pushed back against his mind, allowing some of his thoughts in and shutting out others.

Rey could now feel how much her words affected him. Such things were so rarely spoken between them, both preferring to open their minds and let the feelings wash over them through the bond. But when they were, she felt how conflicted he became.

The once lonely and attention starved boy was so desperate to hear them, yet so terrified because of the meaning they held. The feelings felt so much more real to him when they were spoken aloud. And she knew that no matter how many years they were together, this would never change. It was a secret only she knew, and she treasured that he would allow her to make him feel these things; scared and vulnerable… and loved.

She clung to him even more tightly as she felt the knot in her stomach growing and growing. His rhythm was increasing, creating short, erratic strokes that dragged through her quickly and left her wanting so much more.

'Rey, I need…' He groaned. A particularly hard thrust hit something deep within her and tore a strangled scream from her throat. She was so close.

'Let go.' She ordered him, but his head shook jerkily against her.

'Please, Ben.' She needed him to let go, she needed it more than anything in the galaxy.

One of the hands that had been resting on her hips reached down between them, finding that sensitive spot that never failed to make her see stars. He circled his fingers around her once, twice, three times before she finally tumbled over the edge.

Ben only lasted a few more seconds, the feel of her walls convulsing around him too much for him to bear any longer. She heard his strained groan, but it sounded so far away, the roar of blood in her ears drowning out any sound he could make.

Eventually, his hips came to a slow stop beneath her, and she realised that her forehead had dropped down against his shoulder. He kissed the crown of her head and stroked her back with warm hands as she gradually returned to herself.

In a few hours the galaxy would need them again, but for now they belonged only to each other.

'How long do we have left?' She asked a short while later. They were laying together in bed, and she pulled her hand through his hair, drawing it away from his forehead rubbing the strands between her fingers. She loved his hair, and he indulged her by allowing her to play with it whenever they were alone together.

Ben lifted his head slightly from her chest to look at the clock they'd set up near the entrance to the cockpit.

'A few more hours yet.' His voice sounded exhausted, and he dropped himself back down lazily, so she could continue her ministrations. 'We should probably get some sleep.'

He felt rather than heard her response, a short hmm that vibrated through her chest and his face pressed against it. Her mind was wandering, and he could sense her question coming before she even had the chance to ask it.

'Do you wish we weren't doing this?' She asked quietly.

'You mean this?' He said lightly, before turning his head to the side and taking a nipple between his lips. He sucked on it, leisurely rolling his tongue around the bud and biting down lightly. The sensation shot straight through her chest and down to her core, turning the sensation into a breathy moan, before he gently pulled away. The self-satisfied smile on his face made her laugh quietly. He was such a mass of contradictions; firm yet gentle, serious yet occasionally playful, a man filled with hatred for his old family yet filled with so much love for her and their son.

But their laughs slowly died down and he grew serious as he took in the full extent of what she'd asked him. He wished that none of this had happened, that he wasn't forced to plot and manipulate those around him to keep his family safe from the galaxy.

But nothing felt safe anymore.

'I wish they'd never found us.'

His words hit her hard, and Rey felt the guilt like a knife through her chest. She regretted asking her question, regretted that she couldn't admit to him that it was her fault the Resistance had found them. That it was a moment of weakness driven by fear a year before that had lead them to that tiny planet, and in turn to Leia finding them again.

But he continued, not knowing that with every word he drove the knife deeper into her heart.

'It was the first time in my life I felt safe, on that planet. Even as a child there were people who wanted to use me to get to my family and I was always surrounded by strangers employed to protect me. But on Nocoma we only had each other and that was enough.'

It was rare for him to speak about his past, even more so for her to hear anything about his childhood, and it shocked Rey out of her stupor. It was torture, knowing what she'd done to him, but she buried the emotions deep down where he wouldn't be able to find them. She couldn't miss the opportunity of getting him to speak and open up to her.

And there was one question that had been on her mind for a while.

'I know how much you hate Chewie,' Just hearing the name caused his grip on her to unconsciously tighten. 'I sense the change in your feelings whenever he's mentioned. What happened?'

He sighed against her, knowing that his feelings towards the Wookie were unwarranted yet unable to be rid of them. 'Nothing. I barely knew him, not past the stories I was told growing up anyway. He left to re-join his family on Kashyyyk before I was even born, and I only saw him once or twice- only when there was trouble of course.'

His grip on her was becoming painful but she didn't mention it, wanting more than anything for him to continue his story. 'The day they sent me away, he was suddenly there. I assumed he'd come to take me, but then Skywalker appeared too. It was only later I learnt that the same day I left for my training, he and Han left together. My own father had chosen to throw me away so that he could continue to be a smuggler and a thief, and there was the Wookie to cheer him along.'

'I'm sorry.' She whispered quietly. It wasn't pity she felt for him, but sadness that the little boy he'd once been had been so damaged by the actions of those around him. It didn't excuse anything he'd done, nor did it warrant his hatred of Chewbacca. But it certainly explained much of it.

She felt his need to end the conversation there, sharing his past with her was painful for him and it was a gift for him to give her anything. So, they lay there in silence for a while, until she felt the brush of his eyelashes against her as his eyes slowly lost the fight against the sleep he so desperately needed. But Rey knew she wouldn't be joining him, her thoughts running too quickly and shouting at her too loudly.

Trust was something that had come early in their relationship, forced as it was by their circumstances and having no one else to rely on but each other. They still had their own secrets, each needing to keep something of themselves back when their bond forced them to share everything else about themselves, but they were few and far between.

As for her own secrets, she thought of them as small things. Things that Ben didn't need to know, maybe even things that it would hurt him to know. She would take the pain and the guilt that came with keeping them from him if it meant sparing him.

They'd always trusted each other's judgement on the matter, that if it was important enough then it would be shared.

And yet now, so close to completing this one final mission and escaping together again, she still had no idea what Ben's intentions were. She had not forgotten his recent secrecy in the heat of their passion; his mind was closed to her and she hated the uncertainty that came with it.

After everything they had been through in the past three years, everything they had fought so hard to create, she couldn't lose him. Either to the First Order or to the dark side