Chapter 6

Rey got ready for bed without another word being exchanged with Ben after their earlier argument. After changing into some nightwear that Leia had given her, she pulled back the covers and relaxed into the big plush bed. It had been a long few months, and even though she was worried about Ben, Rey finally felt like she would get some decent sleep for the first time in her life.

Annoyed at the day going south, Ben got ready for bed in a huff. He paced and paced in his room, trying to figure out how to get Rey to understand his side of things

"It won't work." Ben turned towards the voice, confused at who the voice belonged to.

"Who are you?" The tall man was in all black, his brown hair down to his shoulders; he had a blue glow around him.

The man laughed, "What Ben? Don't recognize me?"

"Should I?" Ben had his hand ready to grab his saber from the dresser from across the room

"Don't go grabbing for that, you don't need it. I'm here to help you."

"You still haven't answered my question. Who are you?" Ben glared, was this some trick Luke was playing on him from the great beyond?

"It's me, Anakin Skywalker." Ben's eyes grew wide at the revelation

"No…"

"Yes… I know I look different without the mask, but it's me." Anakin smirked

"Why are you here?" Ben sat down on the edge of the bed, taking in his grandfather

"You need to cut her some slack, she means well."

"Rey? No, I need her help and she isn't listening, she's…"

"Still holding on? No Ben, she's trying to save you. The dark side is not better, not if it means everything that matters to you. Believe me, I know. I lost Padme, and Luke and Leia because I was too power hungry, ruling the galaxy meant more to me than my family and look what happened. I killed Padme in a fit of rage, I didn't meet Luke and Leia until they were grown and I didn't know who they really were until it was too late. Don't make the same mistakes I did," Ben sat there and listened, Anakin's words hitting home, "You've already lost your family Ben, and you will never be able to get them back. Do you really want to lose Rey too? If you keep this up, you will; that I am certain of." Anakin pressed, hoping that he would be able to talk some sense into his grandson.

"So what should I do then? Destroy them and then go live on some planet for the rest of my life?"

"Well you could do that, or you could train the next generation of Jedi." Ben looked over at him with a raised eyebrow

"You really think I could do that?"

"You're not just a Skywalker, you're also a Solo. You can do anything you set your mind to; you have a lot of your father in you Ben, more than you realize. Han Solo was stubborn as hell, but when he was set on something, he did whatever he could to get it, and you of all people should know that I'm right."

"I can't do this without her."

"Then you need to tell her your plan. But first, you need to apologize." And with that, Anakin was gone, leaving Ben alone in his room once again.

Hours later, Rey was woken up by someone calling out her name repeatedly. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she turned on the lamp next to her bad and looked around the room; no one was there.

"Rey, are you awake?" It was Ben; he was trying to get to her through their bond.

"I am now," she replied with annoyance in her voice, "Why are you talking to me like this when you're in the next room?"

"Because… I'm sorry, and I didn't think you would let me in to apologize. I realize that I shouldn't be pressuring you to do the things I want, especially when they're the wrong choice." He admitted.

Ben looked to his left, seeing her in her bed, the bond tricking him into making it look like she was right next to him in his. Rey felt his presence, looking to her right she saw him in her bed, shirtless again.

"Could you put something on?" Rey sighed heavily, not as bothered by her clothing as she projected.

"I'm in bed." He relied exasperated.

"So? You couldn't have put a shirt on before trying to talk to me?" Ben groaned

"I'm trying to apologize here and you're making it extremely difficult. I'm sorry, for everything I've done since we met. Can you please forgive me?"Ben pleaded, leaning on his left elbow and cocked his head to the side as he watched her think.

"Yes, I forgive you. But where is this coming from? You don't seem like the type to admit when you're wrong." Rey giggled as she teased him

"Well I had time to do some much needed thinking. I want to be a better man for you Rey." He replied with sincere honesty.

"Why?" Rey turned onto her right shoulder to be face to face with him.

"Because I care about you Rey, more than you know." Rey gave him a sad smile, afraid to be excited about his confession.

He watched her face react to the admission, convinced she would be shutting him out within seconds. But then she smiled, it was small but it gave him hope, and it made his heart swell just like it did in the forest when she had taken his grandfather's saber out of the snow.

"I care about you too Ben." She finally said after what seemed like forever. He let out the breath he didn't know he was holding in.

"You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that." Ben smiled at her. It was a real smile, something Rey never thought she would ever see from him.

"Can I try something?" Ben asked

"What is it?" Rey asked nervously, hoping his confession wasn't another trick.

"Well, we've touched and held hand through this bond; it just makes me wonder what else could be done." Ben remarked

"Oh. Well I don't know, I've never really thought about it to be…" Rey wasn't able to finish her sentence.

Ben gently pressed his lips to hers, feeling the magnitude of the action. He pulled away to gauge her reaction, as he looked down at her closed eyes, he was finally convinced that Snoke didn't create this bond; he had only made it stronger. They were bonded, and they would've eventually realized it. That he was convinced of.

Rey had a small smile on her face, her eyes slowly opening, inviting him in. Sitting up slightly, Ben's hand went to the back of her head, pulling her in for another, deeper kiss. Rey sat up as well and put her hands on Ben's shoulders, pulling him in so she was flush against his chest. His tongue slipped out between his lips, silently asking her for entrance. Rey welcomed the action as she wrapped her arms around his neck, Ben pulled her into his lap, wanting to feel her in his arms, never wanting to let her go again.

After some time, the pair pulled away from each other, resting their foreheads on each other's as they caught their breath.

"That was…" Ben was speechless as he held her in his arms.

"I know." Rey breathed as she felt his erection on her thigh. She caressed his face, drawing him into another kiss. This kiss was slower, and everything she had secretly wanted since they touched hands.

"He might've strengthened this bond, but I don't believe he created this Rey. This bond, it's a Force Bond. You can't just create it because you want to, it just happens. There are old Jedi texts that Luke once showed me, before I started training; they say that Force Bonds are only created when two people truly understand each other. It usually happens between a Master and a Padawan," Ben tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and rubbed her cheek, "But I guess it could happen to anyone." Rey smiled, realizing she had a lot to learn about Ben still.

"Could you come in here? I need you Ben."