Lulled by the hum of the scout ship's engines, Rey closed her eyes. Despite her outward appearance, she did not sleep. Instead, she relaxed her mind and let the memories of their time together to flow. Images of him so vivid that she felt that she could reach out and touch him again. She clenched her fists refusing to allow herself the disappointment of reaching out into thin air. She recalled the cold damp sand under her bare feet as she stood at the water's edge. She had thought that she would never cease to be amazed by the planet in all its abundance of life. Yet, accustomed to its beauty she had become, now she regretted the times she had taken it for granted. She saw herself busy renovating some component, oblivious to all that surrounded her. Yet, she took comfort in the fact that she had never taken him for granted. She had memorised each and every time he had looked at her. Idly she sifted through her memories, there were so many which showed him surrounded by Darkness. His face etched in pain and anger as the Dark Force leached out of him like a poison. She had collected images of him as he slept, his face relaxed, his arms around her. However, now she sought comfort in a particular memory. Emerging from the lake, the sun glistening on his wet skin. He had seen her anxious face on the beach and he had grinned wolfishly at her. The hot sun evaporated the water so rapidly it made his skin steam. She had crouched down on that damp sand and gazed up at this ethereal man before her. In that moment she saw the path he could have taken if he had not fallen to the Dark Side. She was blinded by the vision of Light before her. Then the moment was shattered as he had promptly fallen on top of her in a fervent, not to mention soggy, embrace. Rey smiled to herself as she recalled her own shrieks as they had wrestled. Afterwards, they had lain in that hot sun allowing it to gently dry them both. She could still feel the weight of his head as it rested on her chest. She wound her fingers through his hair, pulling him closer to plant a row of kisses.
"We're here," The pilot's voice startled her. Abruptly wrenched back to reality, her mind was muddled and heavy. Her eyes struggled to focus on the viewport. The scout ship was entering the atmosphere of a planet that was so white that its brightness burned her eyes. Moments later she followed the pilot down the gangway and into a hanger bay. The space in which they now stood appeared to have been hewn from the mountain itself and was vast. The reason the planet was so blindingly white was clear now. Everything was frozen. Ice and snow formed the entire landscape here. Exhaling she watched the vapour of her breath form a cloud before her lips before it dissipated into the air. Inhaling was painful, the freezing air rushed into her lungs causing them to burn, she could taste blood on her breath as her body struggled to acclimatise.
Their arrival had caused quite a commotion and now a swarm of people had gathered. Most were clearly delighted to see the pilot again. Rey stood back and watched the hugs and laughter. The moisture from the frozen ground seeped through her boots and now she had lost sensation in her toes. Experimentally, she scrunched her feet… but no, she definitely could not feel her toes. She wondered how long it would take before this numbness encompassed her entire body. She contemplated whether freezing to death was preferable to drowning when she realised that silence had fallen over the enormous hanger bay. Not only the band of the pilot's friends had paused, but as she glanced around she noted that everyone was now still. Even the techs working at the far end of the hanger had ceased all movement. Unconsciously, she now found that she had closed her eyes. She felt the ripple in the Force, the power of it swirled around her. She did not need her eyes to see the Light as it moved closer to her. The old man in the long robes looked ordinary enough to others, but to Rey she saw only the Light Force as it radiated outwards. It was warm and gentle, it cradled her as she collapsed on the snowy ice. It revived her frozen extremities as it flowed not only around her but through her as well. Then she knew no more.
It had been a very long time since he had carried a girl in his arms, but the old man was stronger than he looked. He scooped her up and although she was heavy, he felt as if in fact a great weight had been lifted. He turned to the woman now standing beside him.
"She has come home to us at last, Leia" he sighed, allowing himself just a slight smile of relief.
Author's Note:
Sorry it is such a short chapter this time, it just seemed to end sooner than I thought it would!
SaintsFan1 and jayjay0815 - thank you for your kind words of encouragement, it really does help to know people are enjoying the story. xxx