Chapter 10: Talk Me Down

Rey moved about the bar with one goal in mind — do not look at your cell. After she had thoughtlessly texted Ben last night, she had been waiting for a reply, a "goodnight" or an "ok" would have eased her mind. He hadn't sent a single response. Now almost a full day later, the lack of a comeback had her on the verge of starting up another conversation.

She assumed he hadn't replied because he was annoyed with her calling him Ben. She was resolute in her decision to continue calling him by his birth name.

She was not going to call him Kylo Ren. At least not to his face.

In an effort to understand him, she had given into her curiosity and YouTubed clips of his fights. What she had seen had confirmed her friend's warnings. He had gone after his opponents with no hesitation or remorse. He moved swiftly and effectively. Like a demon from a legend, he had attacked with such deadly precision most of the battles lasted mere minutes. And he made sure to, Kylo Ren was a professional fighting champion and all around pompous ass. Kylo Ren was bad news, as Finn and Poe had warned her, who had gotten suspended from his league. Kylo Ren was a monster.

But he was also a mask — Ben Solo's mask, to be exact.

And she was fooling herself if she tried to act as if she wasn't intrigued by the darker side of him, the side that brought out her own dark side, the feral fighter she had become in his presence. He had a controlling personality, a need to be in charge at all times. He had pushed her, backed her up against a wall… or a bag, as it were. She wondered if his dominance extended to other areas of his life. Rey felt the beginnings of the familiar heated flush running over her body.

She was playing a dangerous game.

Rey wasn't sure what had prompted her to text him when she got home from her girl's night in. They had only had one official training session and she was already itching for more. He was extremely hands on, a detail she had not missed or regretted, despite her normal aversion to allowing people to touch her.

Letting people get close to her had been something she avoided in the past, but since coming to Tatooine, her old rule book had gone flying out the window. There was something about the town and the people within it that made her feel at peace and almost hopeful.

Despite that, she still yearned for him. She didn't understand the desperation. Her friends had been with her the entire afternoon, she had two jobs to occupy herself with, and yet, for some reason she felt as if something was missing. It was a strange sensation, as if she had forgotten her keys back at her apartment or had left a favorite t-shirt back in Coreilla at Finn and Poe's place.

Ben Solo had finally gotten to her.

With a sigh, she contained stacking glasses, preparing for the evening rush. Rey wasn't sure when it had happened. Had his training really affected her? Was it his surprising kindness? Or did it have to do with the way he looked at her, that stare which held her with a level of intensity she didn't believe she would ever match.

He had bested her yesterday. After beating him during their first fight, she had assumed she'd be the one who came out on top. The competitive side of her struggled with the idea of losing again. She'd need to train harder with Luke this week to make sure she was ready for Ben on Sunday.

"Rey?"

Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Jyn walking over, a box of new glasses in her arms.

"Everything ok?"

"Yeah, of course."

"You've been holding the same glass for a full minute," Jyn pointed out.

Rey stared down at the tumbler in her hand before she placed it down in its rightful place.

Jyn came up alongside her. "Are you sure nothing is on your mind?"

"I'm fine." Rey flashed her boss a smile.

The other woman smiled back, but she didn't believe her. "Yes, you're fine. That isn't what I asked though, is it?"

Shrugging her shoulders noncommittally, Rey began unloading the dishwasher under the liquor island. "I had a one on one training yesterday. It didn't go the way I thought it would."

Jyn placed a hand on her hip, cocking her head to the side. "And how did you think it would go?"

"I thought I'd win."

"How long have you been training?"

"With him?" Jyn nodded. "We started yesterday morning."

The owner of Rogue One laughed. "You remind me of me at your age."

Rey raised an eyebrow, as she worked to organize the clean glasses.

"When I joined the Rebels, I thought I knew everything about everything," Jyn explained. "I didn't."

"The Rebels?"

"The Rebel Alliance," Jyn clarified. "It was a group of freedom fighters in Iraq. Being part of their organization was how I met Cassian."

"As I recall, you didn't join us voluntarily," the co-owner of Rogue One strolled in, carrying a crate of liquor bottles.

Rey watched the couple, as they moved together, a team working side by side to unload the contents. Jyn had a special smile which only appeared when Cassian was near her and he worn a half-grin, half-smirk in her presence. It might not have been obvious at first, but now Rey could tell they were very much in love.

"I didn't know you two fought in the war," Rey commented.

The owners resumed their work, both appearing softened by their past. Rey assumed it was a sensitive subject. She had seen some veterans while helping out at Resistance. Coming home after serving left a mark on the soul. Some scars weren't physical and some never faded.

"I was a mercenary for an extremist group before I was abandoned behind enemy lines and imprisoned," Jyn told her. "I was in a labor camp for about three months before the Rebels broke me out."

"So it was a rescue mission?" Rey asked, thinking how romantic it must have been to meet the love of your life while being saved from such a horrid place.

If her knight in shining armor had rescued her from Plutt, she would have been eternally grateful. In reality, she had become her own hero. It was empowering but she couldn't discount the fact she wished someone would have come for her, made her a priority.

"Hardly," Cassian scoffed.

Rey shot him a confused look.

"She tried to escape. Almost took out one of our guys in the process."

"I didn't know who they were," Jyn stated, with lingering irritation.

"Good thing Kaytoo put her down."

Oh, so that's the reason, Rey thought.

Jyn and Kaytoo had an extremely tense relationship, which Cassian didn't pay any mind to. Given their past history and June fierce independent nature, Rey could understand how having the man knock her down a peg would rattle the ex-mercenary.

"I was starved and out of shape," Jyn insisted. "He couldn't do it now, if he tried."

"Still want that rematch, little sister?"

"Hi Baze. Chirrut," Rey greeted the club's bouncers.

Baze Malbus and Chirrut Imwe, the town's founders, were old friends of Jyn's and by association, Cassian, though Rey had noticed they favored the female owner. Baze always called her 'little sister' and Chirrut always sided with Jyn when the Rogue One employees voted on a business decision.

The two took seats at the bar, opposite Rey, while she finished up with the dishwasher.

"How are you, Sunshine?" Baze asked.

"Good, how are you two?"

"Lucky," Baze grumbled in his usual hard-ass manner.

"Lucky?"

"Lucky that I don't murder this one in his sleep," he gestured to his husband.

Rey had to giggle at it. Baze looked rough. He had the build of a warrior and a glare to match. As a bouncer, he served well, but Rey knew under all his attitude was a big softy. He was about as mean as Rose. Still, he put up a good front.

Chirrut was an entirely different matter. There was no front. He was transparent with an uncanny sense of the world, despite his inability to see. Before Baze could check IDs, Chirrut could tell if someone was underage or lying about their level of intoxication. He was a human lie detector.

He often spoke in riddles, as if he was reciting an endless collection of fortune cookies. Rey thought he'd get along very well with Maz. She made a mental note to introduce them one Sunday.

"You're lucky I put up with you, after all these years" Chirrut retorted, as he ran his fingers across the wood of the bar counter. "Rey, what has your mind entrapped?"

Rey didn't miss the knowing look Jyn sent to her husband. It was unclear to her what the exchange meant.

"I lost while sparring yesterday. I don't like losing," she admitted, feeling childish.

"It is a teaching moment," Chirrut consoled her. "Learn from your mistake and it will not be a loss. It will become a gain."

Rey considered his words, for once understanding what the cryptic man had told her.

"Thanks, Chirrut."

"You're most welcome, though I sense your mind is weighed down by more than the loss."

She froze.

"You did say he," Jyn reminded her.

"Interesting," Cassian commented, though he was beginning to channel Baze's hard-ass glare. He crossed his arms over his chest, adding to the effect.

"What is his name?" Chirrut asked, genuinely interested.

Rey felt her cheeks turn pink. Suddenly everyone was watching her, waiting for her to explain the man who was tormenting her thoughts, the man who was unexplainable.

"Be-Kylo. His name is Kylo." She caught herself.

While those in Tatooine knew Ben as the son of Leia and Han, closer to Coreilla, he would be recognized as the famous fighter he was. If he wanted to keep his two identities separated, she wouldn't stop him.

"Kylo," Cassian frowned. "Don't hear that name very often."

"Kylo Ren?"

Of course Jyn would piece it together. She had training. Being a mercenary meant combat skills. Rey wouldn't be surprised if she followed the First Order league and knew all about his fighting statistics.

"Yes."

"Can you get me an autograph?" Jyn was practically beaming now.

"Sure," Rey laughed, nervously.

"Kylo Ren is training you?" Cassian questioned, his rough expression darkening.

"Yes."

"And you were alone with him for this?" Her boss continued to press.

"Yes. Is there a problem?"

"I don't like him," Cassian mumbled.

"You don't like anyone," Jyn swatted him.

"He's not what people think."

Rey hadn't been able to make heads or tails of where Ben Solo ended and Kylo Ren began, but she was convinced he wasn't the monster she had originally thought him to be. There was more to him, the man beneath the mask, than he cared to outwardly show.

"Most people aren't," Chirrut mused.

"You're being ridiculous about losing to him," Jyn told her. "He's the best fighter out there. He's undefeated."

"Maybe in be league," Rey muttered, not intending for anyone to actually hear her.

"What's this now?"

"I may have landed a punch square to his jaw," she admitted with a shrug.

"That's my sunshine!" Baze grinned.

Cassian looked satisfied by her words too. Jyn and Chirrut were harder to read. Chirrut regarded her with a thoughtful expression which played across his face for a moment or two before he broke into a smile. Jyn noticed the grin and began to wear her own, before she told them all to get back to work.

"That's enough workplace gossip for today," she ended the conversation.

"As usual, I can see I didn't miss anything of importance," Kaytoo commented, entering the club from the side entrance.

"Nice of you to join us," Jyn snarked back.

"As I recall, you told me you and Cassian could handle the set-up today."

"And as I recall, you never listen to me, so why start now?"

Rey tuned out their bickering, her thoughts going back to Ben. She hadn't seen him earlier at the academy, having gone to the grocery store after her last class to stick up for the week. Her growing popularity at Rogue One meant she could afford more than ramen and spaghetti this week. She had actually splurged for chicken breast, intending to make herself real food to aid her training. She couldn't be expected to be at her best without eating properly.

The fact it had only been a day since she had seen him was not lost on her. It was borderline obsessive how aware of it she was. And it bothered her.

Rey had never relied on anyone, mostly because she had never had the option. Dependency was a concept that scared her.

Infatuation was one thing. She could acknowledge Ben was attractive and had several key features to make her want him, including his deeply sensual voice.

Curiosity was certainly a part of what she was experiencing. Ben's mysterious nature kept her asking questions, kept her wanting to unearth more about him.

Lust was another notion she would have had no problem embracing. It was explainable. She was inexperienced and a newcomer to the promise of having a partner in anything, especially activities which had them pressed so closely together. It was only natural she'd be drawn towards her instructor after the rush of endorphins she felt from their physical activity and close proximity.

Nevertheless, Rey recognized none of those options were what she felt. No, the draw she felt towards Ben Solo was deeper than a fleeting attraction or virgin desire. There was a part of her which felt connected to him, as if he was the missing portion of her soul, the last piece of an elaborate puzzle finally slipped into place.

It was hard to define and even harder to explain, even if she was only trying to describe it to herself.

Only a couple of hours later, the club was booking with the bass of the speakers and overrun with business people looking to blow off steam from their first day back at work after the weekend. Rey ducked around Kaytoo, Jyn, and Cassian as she attempted to grab every unattended customer and supply them with fresh libations.

The tips were generous and became even more generous as the night continued. The perks of being closer to the city was the lure of an escape for their patrons. The club was close enough for a good time yet far enough away from their reason for coming out in the first place. It was the best of both worlds and Rey got to reap the benefits.

As she danced around her co-workers; she wasn't aware of a pair of eyes following her every move. It wasn't until someone shouted her name over the music blaring from the DJ table, she turned to notice Teedo.

He was a short, thin man, who had the build of a jockey. Given his stature, one might assume he was soft-spoken or submissive, but Rey was familiar with Teedo's temperament. He was none of those things.

"What do you want?" She snapped, icily.

"Didn't think I'd see you here," he replied, not answering her.

"Do you want a drink? I'm working."

"Little Rey," he sneered. "You always did think you were too good for us."

Rey clenched her hands at her sides, willing herself to not take his bait. She enjoyed working at the club. The Rogue One crew had become her own tiny family and she refused to let the Jakku resident ruin it for end.

"I simply made a change," she told him, pouring a beer for a man aside of him.

"I wonder what Plutt would think of your change," Teedo shot her a look. It wasn't threatening, but she could hear the promise in his words.

In a fight, she was confident she could take him. Teedo was a bully, nothing more. He had always behaved callously towards others. He had no manners. His attitude wasn't what worried her. It was his affiliation with her former foster father that had nerves kicked up.

"He doesn't own me."

"Says you. Plutt feels differently."

Rey turned away, kneeling down to get a fresh Coors Light out of the fridge, before handing it over the girl who had ordered it. When she spun around to where Teedo had been seated, he was no longer there. She scanned the crowd, but she didn't see him.

The remainder of her shift passed by in a blur, as Rey felt the peaceful sense of being safe leave her, as abruptly as Teedo had.

When Rey woke the next morning, she was still feeling the effects of her nervous energy. Her sleep had been interrupted by numerous dreams of Plutt coming for her. Even though Teedo had no idea where she lived (she had made sure to check if anyone was following her on her drive home) she wasn't convinced he wouldn't be back to antagonize her or provide her work address to his friend.

Having gotten up earlier than normal, Rey decided to go for a run. The fresh air and exertion would hopefully remove the lingering fears from last night. Lacing up her sneakers, she didn't glance at her phone's notifications before she selected a playlist.

The academy was empty when she came downstairs. She was thankful. As much as she liked greeting Luke in the morning, today she wanted quiet. She needed time alone to clear her mind. He would have suggested meditation in the garden, but Rey chose running.

Sliding the ear buds in, she took off.

The bartender she had replaced, Bodhi Rook, had been a native of Jedha and an amateur DJ. Jyn had given her a collection of his mash-ups, which now played. Rey hadn't had an opportunity to listen to them before, but found herself humming along as she raced down the road.

All of the tracks were a clever combination of popular hits. She appreciated Bodhi's ability to recognize similar underlying tones in the tracks and mesh them together with perfect transitions into an entirely new song. It was art.

The beats pumped through her as she sped up, increasing both her pace and her heart rate. She let her mind focus on the lyrics, the melodies, and nothing else. She forgot about Teedo's appearance at the bar, forgot about his warning regarding Plutt, and forgot about her nightmares as a result of it.

By the time she returned to the academy, she was covered in a sheen of sweat and her lungs were burning. She jogged up the stairs to her apartment to take a brisk shower before she changed and began the first class of the day. She hadn't had time for breakfast. It wasn't until she noticed Ben enter the academy that she realized how hungry she was.

Glancing at the clock, she knew she had enough time for a meal and a couple hours of rest before she needed to return to Rogue One.

The thought of going back suddenly had all her nerves from before resurfacing. She barely managed a wave at Ben before she was escaping up into her apartment, too consumed by her anxiousness to consider her instructor or her growing attraction to him.

For the first time since she had moved in, Rey put the deadbolt in place upon entering her space. The tell-tale click of the mechanism securing the door should have helped her anxiety. Unfortunately, it only served to put her more on edge.

She felt her prior confidence slipping away. Before she could unravel, she dialed Finn's number.

There was a series of rings, before the call connected.

"Hey Peanut, everything ok?"

Rey knew she was calling in the middle of his day. She knew he was at work and vying for a coveted position in the upper ranks. The promotion included some travel, which would help him expand his knowledge beyond what he had researched in books and articles. Real life experience was always more beneficial. She hated interrupting his day, especially knowing how hard he was working towards this new goal.

"Peanut?"

"Finn," her voice came out raspy, as if she had just come back from her run. "Teedo-."

It was all she was able to get out before she started to cry. She heard Finn cover the bottom of his phone, so he could say something, probably excusing himself from his lab for the time being.

"Peanut, did he hurt you?"

"No, no," she gasped, angry at herself for allowing her fears to get the best of her. She was stronger than this.

"I'm coming to get you," Finn announced. "Are you at your apartment?"

"Yeah, but Finn-."

"No, Rey, this is not okay. They can't be coming after you. It's harassment."

"But your job-."

"It will be here when I get back," he assured her. She heard him ruffling around, most likely grabbing his keys to start driving out of the city.

"Plutt wasn't there," she told him. "It was just Teedo being...well Teedo, but he made a comment."

"What kind of comment?"

"About how Plutt wouldn't like me working at the bar."

"Shit, Rey! He knows where you work?"

"Yes."

"You need to call the police."

"What are the police going to do?" She questioned. "He hasn't done anything to me."

"Yet, Rey. Yet. It's only a matter of time."

"The police didn't do anything in Jakku," she reminded him.

"You aren't in Jakku anymore, Rey," Finn retorted. "Plutt doesn't own the precinct in Tatooine or New Jedha."

Her tears had stopped now, subsiding the longer she was on the line with Finn. He had always been able to soothe her. Despite his fierce protective nature and the truth of his words, her fear was still present.

"I'll give them a call," she promised.

"Good," Finn sighed on the other end, sounding as if he had been holding his breath. "I should be there in about forty-five minutes."

Rey shook her head. She knew he couldn't see her, but she also knew she couldn't let him take a half-day when he was so close to securing this promotion. Besides, there was nothing he could do. Calling the police was the only action she could take for now.

"Finn, go back to work. I'm fine."

"No, Peanut, you're not."

"I just need some sleep and some food," she argued. "I didn't eat breakfast this morning. You know how I get when I skip meals."

He chuckled at that. "Yeah, yeah, I do."

"I will call the police and tell Luke, if it will make you feel better," she added, sensing him backing down.

"Before you go to work?"

"Yes," she vowed. "Before I go into work."

"And you should tell your new friends — the girls you met, so they can help keep an eye on you."

"Ok."

There was a pause on his end of the line, as he debated.

"Alright," he sighed again. "But you text me when you get to work, when you leave, when you get home-."

"You got it, Dad." Rey tried to act playful to reassure Finn.

"I wasn't done."

She bit her bottom lip, realizing how concerned he was. Finn rarely used such a stern tone with her.

"I want you to watch yourself when you leave your place and when you come home. I want updates regularly or Poe and I will be coming there to make sure you are safe. I don't care if I have to take off a week from work. Do you understand?"

"Yes." Rey fought to keep her voice from cracking. She didn't know what she had ever done to deserve her best friend. He was more than she could have ever hope for.

"I love you, Peanut."

"I love you, too."

They remained on the line for a long moment, silently holding onto one another until Rey broke the quiet with a teasing remark.

"Get back to work, Big Deal."

"You get some rest!"

"Will do. Text you later."

"You better."

By the time Rey had woken up from her nap, she had scarce few minutes to eat a bowl of ramen before she was rushing out the door to her Triumph. She passed both Ben and Luke on her way out. Though she had promised Finn she'd talk to Luke, she didn't want to have the conversation in front of Ben, so she left without saying more than goodbye to each of them.

When she pulled up, Kaytoo was smoking at the employee entrance.

"You're late," he commented, off-handedly.

Rey checked her phone, frightened she had taken longer than normal to commute over. The clock showed it was 8:45.

"You're a liar," she shot back.

He shrugged, clearly untroubled by her rebuttal.

She found Baze and Chirrut seated at the bar with Jyn and Cassian huddled in the corner of the bar in deep discussion.

"Sunshine," Baze pulled her into a hug as she approached.

Closing her eyes, Rey let herself be held for the moment. Baze and the rest of the Rogue One crew made her feel a part of the club. It was oddly comforting how quickly she fell into a rhythm with them, just as how she had adapted to having girl friends and working at the dojo. It had to be something about this area, these towns just outside of the city, which had welcomed her, as if they had always been calling her home.

"You look tired," the bouncer remarked, as she finally pulled back.

Her promise to Finn nagged at her. She needed to tell someone. Baze and Chirrut wouldn't think less of her for bringing up Teedo's appearance from last night. Would they?

Chirrut patted the seat aside of him. "The clock says you still have five minutes before you need to start. Tell us what is bothering you."

Rey sat on the bar stool, twisting her hands in her lap. She ran through her encounter with Teedo, gave them both a brief background on who he was and why she was concerned about him telling Plutt where she was.

She didn't go into detail about her hospital visits as a child, or the numerous times she had implored the local sheriff's department to stop Plutt. It hadn't been until she was older, she realized Plutt paid them off to run his illegal salvage operations, among other things.

"If you see him in here, give us a signal," Baze told her, all the calm gone from his face.

For once, Rey was actually scared of him. His murderous expression usually only worked at the door, but she found herself a tad intimidated by the massive bear of a man next to her.

"The universe has a way of balancing the scales in its own way and in its own time," Chirrut told her, this time reaching over to give her a pat on her knee.

"Well the universe better hurry up or I'll be the one doing the balancing," Baze growled.

The girl from Jakku laughed.

"Social hour is over, boys," Jyn called from the corner.

Rey hopped off the seat, giving each man a quick hug, before reporting behind the bar for her shift. Finn had been right. She had needed to confide in someone. After speaking with Baze and Chirrut, she started to feel her anxiety lessen.

Her night went by without event. She saw no sign or either Teedo or Plutt. After closing time, she flashed a smile over the heads of the exiting patrons to Baze. He gave her a thumbs up gesture, which she reciprocated.

The remainder of the week went by in much the same fashion. Though her sleep was still plagued with nightmares of her former guardian, Rey kept herself busy. When she wasn't working at either the studio or the club, she continued to build her furniture out of the crates and pallets Maz had given her. By Saturday night, she had crafted a coffee table and an end table. It helped complete her living room.

She was aware she was beginning to feel run down and she had barely spoken to anyone but the Rogue One staff and Finn all week, only reaching out to her best friend because he demanded constant texts as a form of check-in.

In the back of her mind, she told herself it was just a phase. She would get back to hanging out with Jess and Rose. She would have time to train with Ben, who had still not texted her back, and she would forget Teedo ever came by.

Her shift at Rogue One started it the same as any other. She helped Jyn with the set-up, helped Cassian run the DJ through his sound check, and ignored more of Kaytoo's sass.

It ended completely differently.

Around last call, her regulars were ordering their final round of the night. Kaytoo has gone out for another smoke, leaving Rey, Jyn, and Cassian to get all the drinks made and tabs closed. Through the hectic chatter, one voice cut straight to her core.

"Rey-girl."

Her blood ran cold. The fingers she and wrapped around her customer's credit card almost cracked the flimsy piece of plastic in two. She turned back around, carefully avoiding him, to hand the card back to its owner.

"Don't be like that," he feigned a whine. "I just stopped by to see your new job. Nice place. Much nicer than the junkyard."

A couple of people stared at him, but not one said a word.

Rey continued to shuffle around the bar, taking orders and handing over tabs to be paid. Each time she moved, she attempted to catch Baze's eyes, but he was busy watching the doors, careful no additional patrons tried to sneak back in.

"I know where you work, Rey-girl. How long did you think you could hide from me?"

Plutt's words were lower now. He had always been careful not to draw too much attention to himself in public. He couldn't bribe everyone. She gritted her teeth and walked past him.

"You think you're better than me, huh? You can lie to these people, keep trying to be something you're not, but we both know the truth. You're a cast-off. You're unwanted. You are nothing."

Rey stilled. Her hands were shaking and she couldn't swipe the card in her grasp.

You are nothing.

She couldn't put a number to the amount of times Plutt had told her. He said it so often it had become somewhat of a mantra he recited when he was drunk or in a foul enough mood to strike her.

Memories of her youth came flooding back. She saw herself hiding under the backseat of a van in the salvage yard. She heard the echoes of her cries after Plutt had broken her first rib. She smelled the stench of his booze after another bender, before she tucked herself away in the closet at his house.

He had never registered her as a person. She was an object, something to be owned. She was a tool, not a person. She had been his meal ticket, not a child. He had never seen her as anything of value. She was nothing.

Nothing. Nothing. Nothing.

His callous words repeated over and over in her head.

"Rey!"

Her eyes snapped to Jyn, who was standing next to her, reaching to wrap an arm around her shoulders.

"Are you alright?"

She barely managed a shake of her head. That was all it took, apparently, because Jyn's eyes left her face and trained in on Unkar Plutt.

"Is that him?"

Rey didn't ask how she knew or when the bodyguards had filled the owner of the club in on what she was going through. None of that mattered now. Jyn tossed a glance over to Cassian. It wasn't the first time Rey was jealous of how effortless their relationship appeared to be. Without a single word exchanged between them, he understood what she was asking.

There was no hesitation in Cassian Andor as he leapt over the back of the bar to round on Plutt. Some guests stumble back, while others clap, as though the owner is putting on an act, instead of acting as a buffer between Plutt and Rey. His dramatic antics, caught Baze's attention.

The bodyguard ran over and grabbed hold of Plutt's arms before he could take a swing at Cassian. Knowing the ex-captain was a nimble fighter, Rey wondered what would have happened to Plutt had Baze not restrained him. Cassian didn't appear to be the type to push for assault charges...if he could administer justice himself.

"She belongs to me," Plutt spat. "Let me go! You have no right."

"I do. And so does she," Cassian seethed, gesturing over his shoulder at Rey. "Because she is a person and we live in a country where people don't belong to anyone but themselves."

Plutt started to respond, but the club owner silenced him with a glare.

"Get him out of here," Cassian instructed Baze.

"I found you once, Rey-girl. I'll find you again!"

"That's enough out of you," Baze groused at Plutt's outburst.

He grabbed the cretin by the shirt, yanking him out of the club, while Jyn remained where she was with her arm around Rey. Her other hand was on her own hip, fingers resting on the grip of her handgun, an onyx 9mm, Rey hadn't noticed she had tucked into her jeans.

Cassian signaled the DJ to end the set and call it a night, working with Kaytoo and Chirrut to usher the rest of the guests out.

Resorting to the familiar flow of the evening's closing procedures, Rey moved to begin helping them clean-up.

"No," Cassian stopped in front of her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You and Jyn take the car. I'll take your bike back. I don't want to chance you going home alone after what he said."

"Cassian-."

"This isn't up for debate," he interrupted her.

Jyn gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze, as they watched her husband catch the rest of the crew up. "He puts on a convincing act," her boss told her. "But he's one of the most honorable men I've ever met. He's fiercely loyal and he cares about everyone here, even if he forgets to show it sometimes."

Rey had to bite the inside of her cheek. She was sick of crying, but the tears welled up despite the pain in her mouth. "Thank you."

It was all she could say, though those two words were never going to be enough to express how utterly grateful she was to have them in her life, to have this squad, a hodge-podge family take her under their wing.

After forty-five minutes of talking Baze down from going after Plutt with what he referred to as his 'heavy repeated canon,' the police arrived. Jyn sat with Rey the entire time, her hand always resting on her arm or shoulder while she gave her statement to the officer.

These uniforms looked different than the ones she had seen lurking about Jakku. They were both clean shaven, with not one wrinkle on their blues. Each made direct we contact with her, one taking diligent notes, while the other kept watch.

Rey didn't appreciate their stares, even though she knew they were trying to help. She didn't know them and despite Jyn's assurances these men were a trusted part of the New Jedha community, she was wary of the system. It had never taken care of her before.

The process took less than an hour and then Jyn and Cassian were flanking her, leading her out back to the garage where their car was. Cassian owned a white Nissan SUV with thick orange pin stripes along the sides. It looked a bit worse for wear, mud caked to the tires and dirty covering most of the exterior, a clear sign they made good use of the four-wheel drive capabilities.

"Get in," Jyn told her, as she flung the driver's side door open and climbed inside.

Rey did as she was told, noticing Cassian walking past Jyn's motorcycle, a Harley-Davidson Low Rider. The all black and chrome finish was exquisite and she could see Jyn's attraction to Cassian when picturing how he would look mounted on the bike.

As it was, her Triumph was smaller and less sexy with its chipped orange paint and balding tires, but he kicked it into life and followed them out of the garage.

There was something wicked in the way he moved. Rey recalled their past history and understood despite the couple's differences, both Jyn and Cassian had had tortured pasts, yet found their solace in each other. For some reason, it made Rey feel hopeful.

She made sure to text Finn what had happened, followed by dozens of reassuring emojis and statements that she was, in fact, fine and riding home with an entourage. She promised to call him after she woke up in the morning.

By the time they reached the academy, Luke's house lights were out, as were the majority of the lights in town. Rey thanked her managers, letting Jyn pull her into a final hug before they watched her disappear inside to her apartment.

Her sleeping bag had never looked as inviting as it did when she clambered up the steps into her bedroom. Stripping out of her clothes, she crawled inside it, allowing her exhaustion to drag her into sleep.

It was the one place her friends couldn't protect her from Unkar Plutt.

A/N: And I'm back! After a break for a much needed vacay, I'm happy to be back to writing and updating this story. Thank you to AbyssalSpark for continuing to be my beta!