'This can't be where I live.' Ben said as they arrived at Rey's modest sized home.

Rey knew the place needed work, but the rent was real low because she had an agreement with the landlord that she would keep quiet about the amount of repairs required.

She rolled her eyes behind Ben's back as they entered the house,

'Honey, I told you, we've been down on our luck for a while that's all. We'll get a bigger place soon. Now that we're both in work again, it will be easier to save…'

'I barely fit in here!' Ben said stretching out his arms and filling the tiny living room.

Rey pressed her lips together to keep from laughing,

'But baby, you always said this room was so cosy!'

'Will you stop with the pet names, I'm nauseous enough from this décor.'

Rey pouted, 'You always loved it when I called you pet names! I hoped it might help trigger your memories.'

Ben looked at her for a moment with the same soft expression from the hospital then rubbed his forehead.

'Fine, although the more I learn the less I think I want to remember this life I had!' Ben plonked himself down on the small couch and it groaned in response, 'This couch certainly doesn't seem to remember me!'

This time a giggle escaped from Rey's lips.

Uh oh. This wasn't good. He's the enemy Rey. Don't forget.

She squeezed into the small amount of space left on the couch next to him.

'Listen, I know this is hard for you, but I'm going to help you get through this. That's how we do things around here. We do things together.'

Instinctively, she reached out and clasped her hand around his. Their eyes met and Rey felt her stomach turn over. Wow, those eyes were so deep. She wondered what it would feel like to run her hand through his hair...

Oh god. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to bring this guy into her world. It had been awhile since she had even thought about dating. Bringing Ben into her life right now, could be like introducing a rainstorm to a desert plain...

'What the hell is this?' Ben said standing up and breaking the spell.

'What?' Rey asked shaking her head a little.

Ben appeared before her holding her favourite picture of Star and Warren.

'Those are our children, Snookie Poo! Star is five and Warren is ten.' She smiled up at Ben. All the colour had drained from his face.

'I'm….I'm a father?'

'Yes! We adopted them. I was an orphan so I always wanted to adopt.' She said with a shrug.

'Oh.' Ben said staring at the picture, 'Where are they?'

'They're at school, you'll see them later. They are so excited. They were super worried about you. We all were.'

'You were worried about me?' Ben asked looking down at her with a sad expression. It was almost as if he couldn't believe that someone would miss him. Rey felt her heart go out to him.

'Of Course we were, we care about you.'

'I...I want to see them.' He said placing the frame back on the table.

Yup. This was dangerous. For all of them. What on Earth was she doing?

'Absolutely no way.' Ben said stubbornly.

Rey thought back to watching her tools sink around her in the ocean,

'Look Ben, waitressing wasn't my dream, just as cleaning wasn't yours, but we do what we have to, to make ends meet.'

'I am not a maid.'

'It's private sanitation for professional businesses Ben, not washing some old ladies underwear!'

There was that quirk of a smile again, but it disappeared as quickly as it had emerged.

'I'm not saying you need to do it forever, I'm saying that for now this is where we're at.'

Ben nodded.

Rey had to hand it to the guy, he seemed to be taking everything really well so far. Had she misjudged him? Was he a nice guy after all?

'Rey? I must ask, did you throw those clothes on in the dark, or is this actually what passes for an outfit in your world?'

Nope. Did not misjudge him. Massive Wanker. Let the reprogramming commence!

Rey was very nervous picking up her children that day. She went over the plan several times with them in the car as she drove them home.

'So we all remember the plan, right? This is a fun game Mommy is playing. We have to pretend that Ben is your daddy just for a little while and he is going to stay and help us out for a while.'

'Why is Ben staying with us mommy?' Star asked.

'I told you sweetie, because he wants to and because he wants to play families with us.'

'I think it's stupid.' Warren said looking out of the window.

'I know, but you remember those trainers you wanted?'

Warren perked up and looked at Rey.

'We should be able to get you those trainers with Ben around helping us make some extra money, so just play alone okay?'

'Okay.' Warren agreed.

'So Ben is…?'

'Ben is our daddy.' The two children said in unison.

I'm going to hell. Rey thought to herself guiltily.

When they arrived home Ben was standing in the kitchen nervously wiping his hands on the tracksuit bottoms the hospital had managed to find for him.

Star, who always did have a flare for the theatrical, ran across the living room to the kitchen shouting 'Daddy!' Then wrapped her little arms around Ben's calves, hugging them tightly to her tiny frame. Ben looked at Rey with such a panicked expression that she couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Warren was more subdued, simply waving and offering up a 'Hi Dad,' before retreating to the safely of his bedroom. Ben looked at Rey questioningly.

'He's hiding the pain, he missed you terribly but he wanted to be the man of the house while you were gone so he's keeping his emotions inside,' Rey put her hand over her heart and gazed up the stairs, 'Our brave little soldier.'

Meanwhile Star was still attached to Ben and was looking up at him with a goofy grin.

'Daddy you're so tall!'

'Yes, I am tall.'

'Will I be tall like you one day?'

'Perhaps.'

'Did you bump your head?'

'Yes.'

'Did it hurt?'

'Yes.'

'Are you alright now?'

'Yes.'

'And you're going to be my daddy now?'

'Yes, like I was before.' Ben said suspiciously.

'Oh yes, like you were before. I forgot.'

'Hahahahahahaha, kids!' Rey laughed nervously before pulling Star free of Ben's legs.

'Okay sweetie, why don't you go play with your dolls in your room and I'll shout you for dinner?'

'Okay Mommy! Bye Daddy!' Star said cheerfully and skipped up the stairs.

Rey started opening cupboards and pulling out ingredients aware that Ben's eyes were watching her every move.

'What did Star mean?'

'What?' Rey asked as she started to chop up some carrots.

'When she said 'like you were before. I forgot.'

'Oh, you know kids! They talk a load of nonsense! Last week she was convinced she was a starfish for three days. Oh, how we laughed!'

'Mmmmm.' Ben responded.

Rey tried to change the subject.

'I thought maybe I would try to cook tonight dear, give you a night off, after all you've been through, but it would be great if you could get back to preparing the meals tomorrow.'

'I usually cook?' Ben asked incredulously.

'Yes! You love to cook! You insist on cooking all the meals and making all of the packed lunches.'

'I do?'

'Yup.' Rey said with a sweet smile as she scraped the carrots off the chopping board into a pot.

'I don't know what we'd do without you.' She lied.

Rey prayed that Warren wouldn't go off the rails when she was sent to prison for fraud.

After dinner, Rey helped the kids with their homework, bathed them and tucked them. Ben was washing the dishes over the tiny sink when she came downstairs. He was right, he was far too big for the tiny house. She suppressed a smile.

'Star has a lot to say for someone so small.' Ben said in a serious tone which had Rey once again holding in her amusement.

'Yes she's always been a chatterbox that one!' Rey said as she plumped the couch cushions.

Ben placed a dish on the drainer.

'Warren seems quite sullen.'

'Warren is a typical pre-teenaged boy. Stuck somewhere between playing with his action men and noticing girls. Can you blame him for being in a constant mood? Don't you remember what it was like…oh god. I'm sorry.' Rey put her hand over her mouth as soon as she realised her mistake.

Ben shrugged, 'It's okay.'

'How about a drink?' Rey asked, moving to the kitchen and pulling out a bottle of whiskey she had stashed away.

'Sounds good.' Ben's said drying his hands and grabbing them two glasses.

Rey poured and handed one of the glasses to Ben before picking one up herself.

'To me and you.' Ben said to Rey's surprise, 'And to rediscovering our relationship.' He said clinking his glass against hers before taking a sip.

Rey didn't have to look in a mirror to know her face was bright red. She sipped her drink and made a move for the living room.

They sat on the couch drinking in silence for a few moments, exchanging awkward smiles.

'So...where do we sleep?' Ben asked, his dark eyes focused on her.

Rey nearly choked on her drink.

Forward much? I don't think so mister!

''I sleep in the bedroom upstairs, but you always sleep on the floor down here on account of your back problem.'

'What?'

'You have a back problem that makes it impossible for you to sleep on soft surfaces. So you sleep on the floor.'

'That can't be true….'

'Don't you remember at the hospital? The nurse told me you found the bed impossibly hard no matter how many pillows she provided you with? That's because of your back problem, baby. You need a hard surface.

I can't believe he is buying this!

'Okay…'

'I'll get the sheets and your pillows.' She said jumping up, grateful to have a distraction from the images that Ben's question has conjured up in her head.

Rey laid out a bed on the floor for Ben.

'Can I shower first please?' Ben asked.

'Of course. You know where the bathroom is.' Rey said sweetly.

While he was gone, Rey considered mentioning there was a blow up mattress in the shed out back, then remembered how Ben had thrown her off the boat with no regard for her safety whatsoever, and decided to keep the information to herself. For now at least.

When Ben returned, he was wearing nothing but a pair of loose fitting shorts, he must have found in the bedroom where she had stashed the clothes Finn had gave her. Rey tried not to stare at his toned physique. The boy may not have done a days manual work in his life, but he obviously wasn't a stranger to the gym! Rey turned away from him and fanned her face as he climbed under the covers.

She turned back to see Ben observing her with interest.

'Well, night then!' She said overly cheerfully.

'Night.' He replied as she walked away.

'Rey?'

She stopped and turned her head, 'Yes?'

'I think I remember our wedding day.'

Rey blinked hard, 'You do?' She asked, as her heart hammered in her chest.

'I think so. I had a very vivid image of me carrying you...I assume it was when I carried you over the threshold.'

Rey pressed her lips together then replied, 'Must be. That's good! It's good that you are remembering!'

As long as you don't remember anything else….

'Goodnight Rey.'

'Goodnight Ben.'

Rey slept badly that evening, guilt gnawed at her and Ben was so big every move he made downstairs made her jump.

Ben had rattled her when he had admitted to remembering their wedding day. Part of her had panicked that he was going to discover the truth and the other part of her has been insanely jealous that he might have been remembering his actual wedding day with someone else, even though that would have been ridiculous as the thorough background check Rose had performed on Ben proved he had no spouse.

Rey put a pillow over her face. This guy was turning her into a crazy person! This was a very bad idea.

The next morning, she awoke bleary eyed to the sound of Ben banging all the kitchen cupboards and moaning loudly about the lack of basic food staples.

Grumpy from the lack of sleep, Rey started to wonder why she was subjecting herself to this torture and how it was supposed to benefit her, when she heard a truck 'toot' outside and realised it was Finn come to take her newly acquired husband away for a day of hard manual labour and her mood improved instantly.

She bounded downstairs and tried not to laugh at the sight of Ben in one of Finns oversized football jerseys pouring cheerio's into bowls for Warren and Star, and grumbling about how he would kill for a poppy seed bagel, then complaining about why he cant remember his name but he can remember poppy seed bagels.

'How did you sleep?' She asked.

'Terrible and my back feels worse than ever.' He grumbled.

'You'll get used to it,' Rey said smirking as she poured herself a cup of coffee.

The horn tooted again outside.

'Finn's here to collect you.'

'What? It's 7am!'

'Gotta get started early so you can collect the kids after school.'

'I'm collecting them?!'

'You have to baby, I have a double shift at the diner.' Rey tried to make her face look as apologetic as possible.

'Okay.' Ben said running a hand through his hair.

She would have to try and make him do that again. Was it okay to ogle your fake husband? Probably best not to think about it too much…

'Right I'm apparently leaving then.' Ben said.

'Okay, bye sweetheart!' Rey said and was surprised when Ben came towards her, then watched him awkwardly hesitate before gently planting a kiss on her cheek.

Rey watched him leave with her mouth wide open. When she looked back at Star and Warren they were both smirking at her.

She closed her mouth.

'Shut up you two.'

'We didn't say anything!' Warren protested.

'Yeah, well keep it that way.' She said as her cheeks started to glow.

Star and Warren looked at each other and giggled.

Rey closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. What had she gotten herself into?