Hi again everyone!

Before anything else, I just want to apologise for the serious delay. I know it's been forever since my last update, but a family emergency forced me to fly home and stay for a while. As you can imagine, I haven't been able to make writing a priority with everything going on in real life.

But as for now, all seems to be quiet again and I'm finally back to continue this fic :D

As always though, thank you to everyone who's reviewed, favourited and followed. It's really gotten me back in the mood to write and motivated me to keep going with this.

So, thank you again, and let me know what you think in the reviews!

2 years 4 months earlier…

'Get on board. Now!' Ben was screaming at her over the roar of the ship's engines. The amount of thrust required to launch even a small ship like theirs threw sand up into the air in great swirls, blowing into her eyes, her hair, and high above her head.

Yet the blaster bolts coming from the hunters in front of her could still be seen clearly through the debris being kicked into the sky, the sounds of their shouts and the banging of their armour plates knocking together getting louder as they edged closer and closer to her position.

They'd been in the marketplace when the wave of uneasiness had washed over them both and with only a glance of confirmation between them needed, they'd cut their supply mission short to return to their ship. Unfortunately, they'd been so low on the necessities that there had been no option to leave behind what they'd already bought. They'd already pushed their living situation as far as it could go and wouldn't have lasted more than a day or so otherwise.

Ben had boarded the ship, firing up the engines to leave as she'd been stowing away the last few boxes. That was when the first of the troopers had begun firing on them, uncaring of the civilians dotted around, and Rey had stayed on the planet's surface to ensure those few near enough had not been in the line of fire.

But now, she could feel the not so gentle tugging on her waist, urging her back towards the ship. Ben was unlikely to outright force pull her onboard, not unless he believed her life to truly be in danger, but it was still frustrating. The man could be so detached at times, yet at others he was possessive to the point of madness. She wondered how it wasn't obvious to him that she had everything under control.

Until a few seconds later, when a bolt flew past her face, barely a hands width away from taking off the end of her nose. Suddenly, she was much more accepting of Ben's earlier assessment of the situation.

It was time to leave.

She began to walk backwards, careful to keep her senses open to the ground at her feet and any possible obstacles that might trip her. The ship behind her was slowly lifting from the ground, and when she sought out Ben's mind, she could feel that he was already sat at the controls, impatient for her to be in a place where she would be safe.

It wasn't until she'd made it onboard, using her force powers to propel her jump higher than an ordinary person could have managed, that she finally caught sight of the carnage below.

Through the whirl of sand, she could see that more of the Blue Suns had joined the fight. There was a mass of them still shooting through the dust cloud, but the ramp had already begun to close on them. Only a handful could see well enough to notice that she was no longer on the ground, but the few shots they managed were deflected easily enough with a flick of her saber.

With a final hiss of steam, the ramp locked into place, and she turned her back on it all and made her way further into the small ship.

It was just one of many that they'd traded for- when the bounty hunters saw and identified a ship, their only option was to find a different one. It also meant that she didn't feel guilty when she shucked the sand from her hair and cloak all over the floor. It would be someone else's mess to clean up soon enough.

She took a moment to straighten herself out, and headed towards the cockpit, planning to give Ben a hand with piloting the ship. He didn't need it, but Rey had always found flying to be the perfect way to calm herself after a fight. There was something she found relaxing in losing herself to the movements of the control stick and the flickering of the lights on the dash.

However, they'd already reached a safe enough distance from the planet for the autopilot to be engaged, and before she could reach him, he brushed past her.

But he didn't go far, barely making it more than a few steps before he turned to punch the wall. Yet the thud of bone against metal never came. His fist had stopped, barely a hairsbreadth away from its target, and his whole arm had gone rigid. He wrenched it, trying to pull it out of the invisible grip it was held in, but it wouldn't move.

Because Rey had felt his frustration flowing through her own body, building quickly during the fight. Her own reluctance to listen to him and board the ship earlier had only stoked the flames higher.

She'd known what he was going to do, even before he had, and had used her force powers to stop him before he could break his fist on the solid metal. They already had enough problems as it was and trying to find a medic in this part of the galaxy would just bring more unwanted attention to themselves.

'Calm down.' Her voice was low and quiet, soothing him and providing a calming balm to his emotions. It took time, but it was only when she felt he'd sufficiently relaxed that he wouldn't try to injure himself again that she eventually released his body from her grip.

Ben shook out his hand and threw himself down at the small table in the corner of the room. He began scratching his fingernails across the grating of the table top, as though even sitting still was too much for him amid his frustrations. There was silence, as Rey chose to give him the chance to get out whatever it was that was eating away at him this time.

Eventually he chose to speak, but his voice was barely more than a low growl. 'We've been running for six months now, and every time they find us. Millions of planets in the galaxy, yet they always know exactly where we are.'

There was a pause. His eyes didn't leave the table or his ever-moving fingers, until suddenly, his hand turned into a fist and he slammed it down. 'I'm done!'

Rey could hear the leather glove creaking as he squeezed his hand tighter and tighter, trying to regain control of his anger and frustration.

She gave a small sigh and moved to stand behind him. Her arms draped over his shoulders and came to cross under his chin, and she leaned her head down to rest beside his. She could feel the warmth of his cheek pressed against hers, and even in his anger it was a comfort to them both.

It was moments like this that Rey realised how much closer they had become over the past half a year of running, having learnt from their mistakes on Coruscant. They made planetfall regularly, though never in the same place twice, and kept a close and constant watch on each other's emotional states.

It was still difficult, being forced to share such close quarters with another person, but they'd both gotten used to each other. Small points of human contact were becoming more regular and less confusing for them.

He turned his face slightly into hers, theirs noses almost brushing. When he spoke this time, his voice wasn't raised in anger, but it hurt Rey more to hear hints of defeat lacing through it. 'I'm done.'

She closed her eyes, holding him close for just a moment longer. She'd been expecting this response at some point. Running wasn't in either of their natures, but for a man who had spent his life fighting, she knew it had been particularly difficult. He lived every day with the desire to kill all of them threatening to break through the surface of his balanced exterior.

He'd fought the urge for her, and for that she was grateful. But he wasn't the only one living with a darkness living inside themselves. She could feel it, desperate to fight back against anyone who tried to harm them and desperate to show the First Order and their hunters that they weren't going to be easy targets.

She finally allowed a small smile to grow on her lips. 'I was wondering when you'd finally say that.'

Rey lifted her head and extended one hand out behind herself. An old, banged up holopad floated through the air and she took hold of it without looking. Pulling it in front of their faces and tapping it a few times, a strange symbol flashed to life on the screen, one that she'd seen so many times emblazoned on the armour of the bounty hunters. She tossed the pad down onto the table in front of him.

His eyes flicked down to focus on it, the three-dimensional symbol spinning slowly and menacingly around and around on the screen.

'They've had the upper hand for too long now, and they've made it quite clear they don't plan on leaving us alone. Not until we're dead anyway. Personally, I'd prefer that didn't happen.'

Without another word, Rey allowed him into her thoughts, using the opportunity to practice opening parts of her mind to him, and he quickly grasped onto what she wanted him to see. Her plans were vague, but the intentions behind them were clear to see. She wanted to turn the hunters into the hunted.

Ben wanted the same thing.

He reached out to touch the holopad, and with a few more taps the spinning blue sun disappeared, replaced with a stream of information. Anything they'd been able to find out about the mercenary group, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant the information was, had been carefully collected and recorded.

But it still wasn't enough.

'Without knowing where to find their leaders, there's no point to any of this. We've taken down enough of them by now to know that the ones on the ground are easily replaced. We need more information.' He said.

Rey had already turned her back on him, inputting coordinates into the ship's navigational system. 'And I know exactly where we can go to find that information.' She replied.

Ben's earliest memories of this place were not fond ones. As a child, the imposing building had terrified him, causing him to grip his father's hand tightly and hide behind his knees from the countless species he'd never seen before. The turrets had cast long shadows across the ground, and the flags crossing the sky in the courtyard had flapped angrily in the strong winds, as though motioning for him to leave.

But now the turrets were gone, the flags torn down or burnt through by blaster fire. The attempts to repair the castle were extensive, though primitive, with walls shoddily put back together and light streaming through the holes left behind. Only the huge wooden door seemed to have come out of it all unscathed, and it closed behind them with a resounding thud.

Several patrons turned to look at the newcomers, but with their hoods pulled down to shadow their faces, it didn't take long for people to lose interest in them. No one was interesting unless they were valuable.

Except to Maz.

The small, orange skinned alien made her way across the packed cantina towards them, weaving through packed tables and lumbering beasts many times her size with ease. Her skin was wrinkled and ancient looking, her clothes worn and covered in stains that had been there for years.

Yet despite her diminutive stature and outward appearance, she had a presence to be reckoned with. Those who noticed her instantly moved to let her through, averting their eyes so as not to draw her attention yet leaning their heads closer to hopefully catch a few words of the conversation she was about to have.

She came to a stop in front of them, her hands on her hips and looking straight up into their covered faces. Her own was hard as she looked at Rey, a poker face perfected over the many centuries she'd been alive. But as she turned to Ben, the expression in her eyes turned from stone to ice; she knew exactly who he was.

He'd hoped that the fact she hadn't seen him in well over 20 years might have hidden his identity at least until they were in private.

But there was no such luck.

'You.' She hissed. 'You have some nerve coming here.'

Feeling the anger radiating from her in waves caused his own to flare. It was a defence his body had perfected, and when he spoke his voice was low. 'If it was up to me, I wouldn't be within a thousand systems of this place.'

Her response was automatic, 'Then leave.'

But they knew all too well that they couldn't. Maz was practically the only person they knew who the information would have they needed to find the Blue Suns. The only other option was Leia, and the chances of Ben agreeing to contact his mother were non-existent. They had no other choice.

Rey stepped between the pair and pushed Ben back a little way behind her, hoping to diffuse the tension a little by serving herself up as a distraction. But Maz wasn't so easily calmed.

'And you. You're supposed to be dead.'

Rey lost her composure for just a split second, her brows furrowing as the comment caught her off guard.

Why would Maz have reason to believe that she was dead? The Resistance knew that she was alive. Or at least they had when she contacted Finn six months beforehand, and she doubted they had reason to believe otherwise.

But there was no time for her to consider it further, and she schooled her expression back into one of neutrality. They hadn't travelled half way across the galaxy to Takodana to discuss their personal lives. There were more important matters.

'We need your help.'

Maz released a quiet laugh, but it wasn't friendly. It was full of sarcasm and mocking and derision.

'The last time I offered you help, you ran away. And do you remember where you ended up?' She nodded her head at Ben. 'With him. Why would I offer a second time?'

Rey considered her answer carefully before slowly lowering herself down to her knees. Maz would accept nothing but sincerity and an honest answer from her, and it was what she deserved.

'I was scared. You knew my history, yet you were trying to throw me headfirst into a world and a fight I didn't understand. You can't blame me for wanting no part of it. But now…' She glanced quickly up at Ben and saw that his eyes and every part of his attention was focused on her, before returning to Maz 'Now I'm where I need to be. I don't regret where the force has lead me.'

Maz was silent but nodded solemnly as Rey finished speaking.

'He asked me to look out for you, you know. But it's not just you anymore. And I have no reason to want to help him.'

Rey almost growled in frustration. Maz was fond of the her, and she was so close to a result, she could sense the woman's resolve crumbling. Her voice was pleading. 'Then don't do it for him. Help me.'

Maz looked up at the boy in front of her, lifting her glasses from her face and resting them on top of her head. He was determined not to return her gaze, but she didn't need him to to be able to read him like a book.

Han had been a good man. People often said that Maz didn't have any kind of moral compass, allowing any thief or smuggler through the doors of her castle as long as they had the money to pay for their drinks. But she'd liked Han. And despite his many obvious flaws, he certainly hadn't deserved the end he'd gotten in life.

'Please, Maz.'

Maz shook her head, as though she couldn't believe she was even entertaining the notion of sitting down and helping them. And when she looked up, it was as though she had aged even further in the last few seconds, her voice reluctant and exhausted. 'Follow me.'

She lead them through the throng, once again weaving between tables with the grace and skill of someone who'd made the same movements thousands of times before. No stares were directed at her this time, but rather the two humans following closely behind her. Ben pulled his hood down further over his head.

Whilst the face of Kylo Ren was not well known, thanks both to the mask he'd worn for so many years and the frequency with which his meetings had ended with the deaths of those involved, his features were pronounced.

And his scar certainly counted as a distinguishing feature.

So, it was with some relief that Maz lead them into a small side room, rather than simply emptying one of the tables in the main hall as she usually did for unexpected guests.

They took their seats around the small, circular table inside, but the eyes of the small alien were constantly darting across Ben's face. Maz had made her opinion of him clear, but this went beyond that, as though she expected him at any moment to jump up and pull his lightsaber on them all.

With what happened the last time he was on the planet, Rey couldn't blame her too much for her behaviour.

'So,' Her piercing eyes finally settled on Rey, 'Why are you here?'

'We need information.' Rey pulled the holopad from inside her cloak, and on the screen appeared the image she'd become all too familiar with over the past few months. The blue sun was still spinning, the ray's radiating from the centre circle sharp and pointed like knives.

'Do you recognise this symbol?' Maz pulled the holopad closer. 'It belongs to a group of bounty hunters calling themselves the 'Blue Suns'.'

She frowned. 'Oh yes. I recognise it. They used to make planetfall here quite often to get information. But then they started getting a bit too… aggressive… in their negotiations with my patrons and I was forced to ask them to leave. A nasty bunch, those ones.'

'We know. They've been chasing us across the galaxy for months now. Whenever we make planetfall, it's a dice roll whether or not they'll already be waiting for us.'

Rey sighed and threw herself backwards in her chair, rubbing her hands over her face violently. The whole thing had kept her on edge for months, and it was equal parts exhausting and infuriating.

But Maz continued. 'And you want to know how they're finding you?'

'We already know.' Ben said. 'They're being paid by the First Order. We found this on one of them a few months ago.' He flicked something down into the centre of the table, and Maz was quick to grab it up. She adjusted the magnification on her glasses, and her head tipped from side to side as she examined it closely, but there wasn't much to see.

'A First Order communicator. The materials are good, but not good enough quality for command. Must be used solely by the stormtroopers. Looks to be standard issue.' She mumbled to herself, before looking up again. 'How do you know they didn't get it somewhere else; there's plenty of them going around if you know where to look.'

'Because this one's new. See the markings here?' He pointed to a series of barely noticeable series of letters and numbers on the underside of the device. 'New communicators like this are worth more as scrap parts on the black market. Better to break it down than to sell it to bounty hunters.'

Maz's earlier suspicions and open hatred seemed to melt away for a moment as she became caught up in the mystery behind the communicator. Her eyes had lost their wariness, and her whole body was slowly leaning forward in her seat, angled towards her guests, and completely lost in interest.

'What if they just took it straight from a stormtrooper?' She suggested.

'Possible, but unlikely. There are a lot of people that want to see me either captured or dead.' Maz's gaze caught on him momentarily, but he chose to ignore the pointed look and continue. 'But the bounty the First Order are offering will be by far the most. The Blue Suns wouldn't risk angering them by killing off their troopers, not for the sake of a few communicators.'

'A few?'

Rey folded her arms on the table and jumped back into the conversation. 'That's not the only one we've found. And they only ever seem to be in the hands of their captains. The rest of them are still just using old tech.'

Maz was impressed. It seemed that they hadn't been exaggerating when they said the attacks had been near constant if they'd had chance to examine multiple bodies, yet they were still here. Not only had the rumours about Rey not been true, but she seemed to be blossoming in her new environment. She wasn't a scared little girl anymore. But this train of thought only lead Maz to confusion.

'It's interesting. But I still don't see how this could involve me. Or why you're here and asking for help.'

Rey glanced over at Ben, and he didn't need her to speak to understand the silent question she was asking him. She wanted to fight, and she wanted to be sure that he still did too. His nod was small, but enough for Rey to feel comfortable with continuing.

'We're done with running. We're taking the fight to them, and for that we need to know where their base is.'

Maz's response was instantaneous.

'No.'

Rey's face was a picture of astonishment. She'd seen Maz allowing them further entry into the castle as a sign of acquiescence, that any further protestations she might have would be just for the sake of her pride. But her answer then had been dripping with determination, a reluctance to get involved once again.

Yet Ben seemed unsurprised.

Maz slowly reached forward, unfurling Rey's arms and taking one hand between her own gnarled fingers. 'You know, there are maybe a hundred people out there in the hall with ties to the First Order. Some may have hunted for them, some may have spied. And once gained, it's a difficult connection to drop.'

Rey squeezed the hand gripping hers tightly. She allowed the force to flow through her words, knowing that it wouldn't work on the ancient alien yet comforted that at least she was giving everything she had to convince her.

'Which is why we're asking for your help. You know how powerful they are. They have half a galaxy at their disposal. We only have ourselves to rely on.'

Maz looked directly at the child in front of her, staring at her with the same intensity Rey had seen her do to others. She forced her body to keep still in the chair, rather than squirming awkwardly under the older woman's gaze.

'Han was fond of you, you know. He told me that you had something special, something he hadn't seen since…' Her voice trailed off as she glanced over at Ben. His hands jerked on the table; he hadn't been expecting the conversation to suddenly turn in such a direction. They automatically clenched into tight fists, as they always did when any mention of the late smuggler appeared.

Yet, the darkening atmosphere in the room had no effect on Maz; she'd lived too many years to be affected by the temper tantrums of someone so young. And when she spoke, her voice was calm and soothing, her small gnarled fingers covering Rey's hand and stroking softly.

'If you truly need help with this, child, then you already know who to turn to. She'll always be waiting for you.' Her gaze fixed on Ben's fury filled face. 'Both of you.'

'No.' The word was low, shot through with hatred and venom. And all Maz could do was shake her head at the boy before her. A boy who had the stubbornness of both his parents running through him.

'You cannot spend the rest of your life running from the past, Ben Solo. Eventually, it will find you.'

Ben didn't say a word. He held the anger back, forced the darkness deep enough down inside himself that he could get to his feet and walk out of the room without igniting his saber. Despite how much he wanted to.

The door slammed shut behind him.

Rey wasn't concerned though. He would calm down eventually, and as long as she could still sense his physical presence nearby then she didn't need to worry.

'We can't go to Leia. Ben would never let me go on my own and taking him along would only put her in danger. He's been working on his self-control, but I don't think it's a good idea to test him right now. It's too early.'

The girl was the only person who knew Ben Solo as he was now, and Maz was forced to agree that she was probably right. The boy still had too much rage and hatred and regret in himself to be trusted around the leader of the Resistance. Yet Rey seemed to have a calming effect on him, balancing him and helping him to control his innate abilities with the dark side of the force.

Was it too much to hope that at some point in the future, the girl may even bring balance to the force? And to Ben Solo?

'Okay. I will tell you what you need to know child.'

Hux's office on the Finalizer was an empty and hollow place, a place designed to encourage maximum efficiency from its occupant and nothing more. Covered entirely in the blacks, whites, and reds of the First Order, it was a huge room with only his desk at one end and a large, round conference table in the centre.

The noise from the engines and the natural hum that came with any ship was non-existent in the space, and the silence was a useful tool in making his subordinates feel uncomfortable and afraid, and cowing them into submission. It made Hux smile when they began to sweat in the stillness, fidgeting with their collars and shifting nervously from one foot to the other.

Behind his seat was an immense window set into the wall of the ship, running the entire length of the room, and providing a panoramic view of whatever part of the galaxy they happened to be in at the time. It showed just a glimpse of the empire that Hux truly believed he alone had created.

But for now, he wasn't alone. The leader of the Knights of Ren stood immediately to his left. He'd offered her a seat when she'd first entered but, just as her predecessor always had, she'd refused. Unlike Kylo Rent though, she didn't maintain her distance, and preferred to stand as close to him as she could, her small form looming over him and casting a long shadow.

Hux could feel her hand stroking gently through his hair, and he couldn't hold back the shivers that shot across his skin at her touch. She petted him as one might an animal, not the leader of the greatest empire the galaxy had ever known.

But as the update from the captain of the Blue Suns filtered through the communicator on his desk, her hand paused at the base of his skull.

He'd had time to learn the woman's tells, not that she was one to keep her emotions to herself, and he could sense the anger even without the mystical force powers the Ren's possessed. Her nails became talons as they unconsciously dug deeper and deeper into the soft skin of his neck, but he made sure to keep the pain to himself.

Her actions were distracting though, and it took him several moments to realise that the Captain had finished speaking and was now waiting for a reply. Duna Ren leaned down to whisper in his ear, though her fingers never let up the torment of his skin.

'I will not wait any longer. Tell them I will send my Knights to them to aid in the search.'

Hux relayed the information to the Captain, but the response he received made it obvious that they were unhappy with this new development. 'My mercenaries answer only to me. There will be no one else in charge of this operation, we can handle it.'

'The money we have given you so far Captain has been enough to outfit your entire operation and keep it running for many years to come.' The other end of the line was surprisingly quiet as Hux continued. 'We have provided you with the best tech as well as every scrap of intelligence we have gathered. Yet you have failed. They have eluded your men multiple times and you seem no closer to capturing them than you were six months ago. Is my assessment of the situation correct Captain?'

The line hissed and crackled for a moment, a strange echo of the atmosphere in his office. But when the Captain's voice eventually made it through the static, their voice was as clear as the feelings behind it. They were livid.

'You did not give us all the information until you were forced to. And the fact that we are still going, against two powerful force users that we were not warned about, shows that we are the best. I'd like to see you find a group half as good as ours.'

Hux opened his mouth to speak, but from the corner of his eye he caught sight of a hand being raised in his direction. Duna Ren took a deep breath in, forcing control over the anger that flowed through her constantly, just as she'd been taught to do by her master. She leaned over Hux, silencing him with her movements before he could speak.

'If you wish to continue with this arrangement Captain, then I suggest you accept the deal we are offering you. Because I swear to you, if you break away from the First Order now, I will hunt you down myself. I will find you, I will tear every single one of you apart and I will spread you across the galaxy.'

The response was quick and angry. 'Who the hell are you?'

From his position below her, Hux could just see the edges of the smirk covering the Knight's face. She was enjoying this, intimidating a bounty hunter she'd never even met. And while he still believed that her and her kind should be torn out of the galaxy with extreme force, he at least admired her for this.

Where Kylo Ren had done only what was necessary to appease Snoke, Duna Ren did exactly as she wanted.

'I warn you that Kylo Ren and the woman he travels with are not the only force users left in the galaxy. You will submit yourself and your forces to the command of the Knights of Ren, is that clear?'

For the shortest of moments, Hux thought the Captain may be stupid and impulsive enough to challenge the Knight of Ren. But then the beat of silence was over, and their answer rang out loud and clear.

'Yes.'