Ben sighed, running a hand through his hair. He could sense that she didn't want him to leave, and that she was afraid. Looking around into the darkness of the Jakku night, Ben folded his legs under him and sat, waiting to see what Rey would do next.

…

Rey crept even closer to the door of her AT- AT, somehow sensing that the man – Ben, he had said his name was Ben – was still outside waiting for her. Biting her bottom lip as she thought about her next move, Rey made her decision quickly, throwing the door open with her staff in hand and stepping outside, ready to defend herself if necessary.

She stopped as her eyes found Ben, sitting in the sand with his legs crossed, his eyes closed and his large hands resting on his knees. Without opening his eyes, the man – Ben, she had to remember to call him by his name! – spoke, his voice a low rumble in the stillness of the night air - "Hello, Rey."

He opened his eyes, seeking her out, and Rey felt a blush color her face as their eyes met. She had never seen a man with eyes quite so deep and expressive, and she found she liked them. Remembering that her Master forbid her from such practices, though, had her quickly looking at the sand, her voice small and barely a whisper as she replied, "Hello, Sir."

"Ben. My name is Ben, Ben Solo."

Rey nodded in response, her eyes not leaving the sand.

"You can call me that, Rey. There is no one else here but us. Plutt won't know I'm here. You're safe to talk to me."

Rey shook her head, her heart racing as panic threatened to overtake her.

Master will find out! He has eyes everywhere on Jakku! He will know, he'll find out I've been talking to a Jedi, and he will punish me even more! He'll take away my AT-AT and make me sleep with the other girls!

"I can't talk to you, Sir. I… Master will punish me when he finds out you're here. Please… please leave!"

Rey's bottom lip quivered as she spoke. She didn't want the Jedi – Ben! – to leave, but she was scared, especially after the beating Marska had given her earlier tonight. Next time would be even worse, and she couldn't bear to lose her house!

Ben rose from the sand, brushing the annoying substance off his clothing as best he could before he looked down at Rey. He sensed an inner compassion and kindness within her, as well as fear. Plutt truly had her completely under his thumb, and Ben felt the familiar pull of anger calling to him from somewhere deep within.

"I know what happened earlier," Ben said softly, "And it wasn't right. No one should be enslaved to another person, Rey, and no one should be beaten for simply talking to another person. You feel the same way inside, don't you? What would you say if I told you that Marska will never beat you again?"

Rey's eyes widened at his words, and she felt a small sense of something deep within her come to life. Looking up from the sand, her hazel eyes met his brown, her voice still small, but now filled with hope as she asked, "He won't? But… how? He will do what Master Plutt tells him to do!"

A small smile came to Ben's eyes, his eyes flashing with something that was almost delight as he remarked, "Because, he no longer has a hand to beat anyone with. I cut it off."

Rey's eyes widened even more, her mouth forming an 'o' of surprise as she backed away from the Jedi, the makeshift door to the AT-AT finally stopping her retreat. This man, this Jedi, Ben, he was dangerous, and even though Rey knew she should be afraid – she wasn't. She somehow felt safe with him here.

"You… I'm sorry. I am… but Master Plutt is going to punish me, you… you need to leave." Rey's eyes went back to the sand, and then she was hearing his voice inside her head.

"Rey. I am not going to leave. Plutt won't find out. We need to talk."

Rey let out a squeak of surprise at Ben's mental voice, her eyes going to his as she tried to shrink more into the doorframe of the AT-AT. "How… How did you do that? I… I heard you… in my head."

"I used the Force," Ben replied, a small smile on his lips as he watched Rey. "Can I show you, Rey?"

Rey found herself nodding at Ben. She knew he would never bring harm to her – he had defended her, after all, from Snake and Mumbles.

"Good. Please, sit down. Sit like I was earlier, when you come outside. Legs crossed under you."

Rey hesitated for a moment. Was this some sort of plan to hurt her? No – this was Ben – he wouldn't harm her. He wasn't Plutt or one of his boys – but it was so hard for her to trust anyone. Giving trust to another person was not something Rey had ever done – trusting someone got you hurt or robbed in Niima Outpost.

She found herself folding her legs under her a moment later, though, looking up into those kind brown eyes after she did so.

"Wonderful. This is called the meditation pose. It's what Jedi use when they need to find their inner balance by meditating. Now… in the alley earlier, when you pulled that piece of the building down, do you remember feeling anything different when that happened? Something deep inside, maybe?"

Rey thought back to her encounter in the alley with Snake and Mumbles. She had felt fear, certainly, and a certain determination to get away from them. But something else had happened inside her too, right before that piece of the building had come crashing down. The only way she could describe it was that something inside her, far inside her, had come alive – and it had been there ever since. She could feel it even now, like the whisper of the universe calling out to her.

Rey looked up at Ben finally, nodding at him. "Yes, something… something woke up inside me, I guess? I feel it now, it's inside me and it's calling to me. It's like the whole Universe is kind of whispering to me, somehow. It's… frightening, yet comforting all at once. How can that be?" Her eyes reflected her thoughts – Ben saw both fear and comfort within their hazel depths.

Ben nodded, a small smile coming to his lips again. "That's the Force, Rey. The Force is a powerful thing, when it awakens in a person. The Force is everywhere, it's in everything. Close your eyes for me."

Rey looked at Ben for a moment, pondering his words. Even though everything inside her was telling her she could trust him, she had been alone and afraid, looking out for herself, for too long, and to trust so blindly was a struggle. With a small sigh, Rey finally closed her eyes, waiting for Ben to speak again.

"Clear your mind, Rey. Let yourself fall within yourself, into the very core of your being. You should feel the Force there speaking to you."

Rey tried her best to clear her mind, picturing herself falling as Ben spoke. And then, suddenly, she felt it – the Force – and it was the most beautiful, magical thing she had ever experienced.

Warmth. Cold. Joy. Sadness. Life. Death. Pain. Pleasure. Love. Hate. Darkness. Light. Power. Weakness. Subjugation. Liberation.

Balance.

With a gasp, Rey opened her eyes, looking up at Ben, a genuine smile coming to her lips as she stood excitedly. "I… I felt it Ben – the Force! Stars, it was… it was so… I can't describe it!"

Ben loved the look in Rey's eyes. It was almost as if she had been living her life half alive, just going through the motions, and to see the light come into her eyes and watch her realize she was fully alive was a precious gift that only he got to receive. Nodding, he let a laugh leave his lips. "Yes, it is rather hard to describe. I remember the first time I truly connected to the Force. I think I was 8 or 9, and I was mad because my older brother Jacen was trying to take a toy away from me. I used the Force to pull it into my hands without even knowing what I was doing. A few months later, and I was at my Uncle Luke's Praxeum to start my training."

Rey's eyes were glowing with unshed tears as she listened to Ben. "What's a Praxeum?" She had never heard the word before, and she asked the question without really thinking about the fact that Ben might think her question an ignorant one – but Rey had never been off of Jakku, and slaves didn't get the benefit of an education. Rey had to soak up whatever knowledge she came across from the people who travelled to Jakku for business with her Master by listening to them and filing little tidbits away in her brain for later analysis.

Her question didn't seem to faze the tall Jedi, as he graced her with another gentle smile. "The Jedi Praxeum. It's a training facility run by my Uncle. Luke Skywalker."

Rey's eyes widened as she looked at Ben, her mouth again falling open in shock. She knew that name – everyone in the Galaxy knew the name Luke Skywalker. He was a great Jedi Knight, and one of the Heroes of the Rebellion that brought down the old Empire. And this man standing before her was his nephew?

"You… you're related to Luke Skywalker? So, he's real?"

Ben threw back his head slightly, his laugh echoing off the durasteel of the AT-AT into the night air. "Oh, yes, Uncle Luke is very real, as are my parents, Leia Organa and Han Solo."

Rey kept the same wide-eyed expression, and she shook her head softly. Two more legends, two more heroes of the Rebellion – and their son was standing in front of her, all handsome and warm and so very kind. No one would ever believe her if she were to tell them – Rey was having trouble believing it herself!

"I… wow. I mean, I've heard the stories as I worked. Moving through the outpost, I would overhear some of the smugglers and traders telling stories to some of the children and the older people about your family. I just never thought about them being real, breathing people – just as some heroes in stories, I guess. I'm sorry – that must sound so stupid to you. I haven't really ever been able to talk to people outside of Master's other slaves – he won't allow it." Rey's eyes fell back to the sand, her expression losing some of the light it had only a moment before.

"It's okay, Rey. It's not stupid. You'd be surprised how often we hear it when we tell people who we are related to. Rey… you know you're not meant to be a slave, don't you? No one should be a slave – no one can own another person." Reaching out with one hand, Ben lifted Rey's chin gently so that she was looking at him. "Don't do that. You are a person, with your own mind and your own spirit that can never be broken. I don't want you to look down when you are with me, like you're my lesser. Because you aren't. You're my equal, and I will not treat you as anything but; do you understand, Rey?"

Tears brimmed in Rey's eyes as she looked into Ben's eyes. Finally, Rey nodded, something inside her changing with his words. Her heart, which she had carefully protected her entire life, woke up, and the happiness she felt inside was something she would revisit over and over again after Ben left Jakku – because she knew without a doubt he would be leaving again – no one even wanted to come to Jakku, much less stay. But she would remember Ben Solo as being the person who woke up her heart for the rest of her life, of that Rey was certain.

"Thank you," she said tearfully.

The raw emotion in Rey's eyes made Ben's throat clench, and he found he had to swallow hard, past the lump in his throat, before answering her. "You're welcome, Rey."

Now it was Ben's turn to look down at the sand under their feet for a moment, trying to come up with his next move regarding Rey. He wanted to extend his Uncle's offer to her, but he felt she wasn't ready to hear it. Something had her tethered to Jakku besides her status as a slave, Ben sensed that within her. Until she could let go of that, he doubted she would leave.

Looking up and running a hand through his hair, Ben gave Rey a smile. "I would like to come see you again tomorrow night, if that's okay with you? Don't worry about Plu- your Master - finding out. I can handle that. I need to show you some things so that you can handle your new connection to the Force. May I come back, Rey?"

Nodding her head as she blinked back tears, Rey found that for the first time in her life, she had something to look forward to besides sleeping. "Yes, Ben. I'd like that."

Inclining his head briefly, Ben smiled and turned towards his waiting speeder. Reaching into his pocket, Ben tossed a small package he had grabbed as he left the Nevermore earlier to Rey, watching as she caught it with ease. She looked at him questioningly, and Ben smiled at her.

"There's a med kit in there, and some food for you. I'll see you tomorrow, Rey. If… if you need something, all you have to do is think to me. Use the Force. You'll figure it out, and I'll be listening. Night, Rey."

Rey watched as Ben sped off into the night, clutching the package close to her heart for a long time after the sound of the speeder faded.

"Night, Ben," she said softly as she turned to go inside her home.