Getting through the Stormtroopers behind the door of the interrogation room proved easy enough. It was when Rey pushed the wave of soldiers around the Falcon that her strength began to falter.
"Rey!" Poe yelled as she dropped to one knee. Letting go of Ben, Poe scooped Rey into his arms and carried her onto the Rebel spacecraft.
"No," Rey mumbled, trying to struggle out of his grasp while her vision spun. "You need to get Ben," After Rey was on the Falcon Poe reluctantly went back for Ben, brought him aboard, and jumped the ship to hyper-speed as soon as the old engine allowed.
Once Poe verified they were a safe distance from the First Order, he turned to his co-pilot, who was still recuperating from her Jedi trick. "So, are we going to talk about what happened back there?"
Rey rubbed the back of her neck. "There's nothing to talk about," she said. "You'd be drained too if you'd just pushed a bunch of people backwards,"
Poe shook his head. "I didn't mean that. Luke's told me about how using too much of the Force can drain you. What I mean is what happened in that room with you, BB-8, and me,"
Rey replayed the scene in her mind. Aside from Ben's denial of reality, everything had gone as planned.
"Since when did you decide it was okay to use the Force on your friends?" Poe reminded her, a hurt look shining in his eyes.
"Oh," Rey had barely given the action a second thought. "You were trying to dissuade me from helping Ben,"
"No, I wasn't. Whatever darkness was affecting you two, it didn't affect BB-8 or me. I was trying to show you the Kylo Ren mask when you suddenly sealed my lips together like glue," BB-8 made a mechanical grunt from behind, not wanting his violation to be forgotton. "And pushed BB-8 back against the wall,"
"Look," Rey turned around to face the two of them. "I'm sorry for using the Force on you both, I truly am. I was just so focused on the task that I didn't want any interruptions that could jeopardize the mission, you know? I now know I misjudged you, and I promise it won't happen again,"
"But will it?" Poe asked. "If you view us as obstacles, we may not be able to alert you in time whenever we're hit with the next unexpected threat. BB-8 and I may not have superpowers like you and Ben, but we can still help nonetheless,"
When Rey remained silent, Poe continued. "I didn't go on this mission just for Ben's sake; I also did it for you. You're like family to me, and I know you've been through enough for five lifetimes," Poe sighed. "You deserve some happiness after this crazy life we've been dealt. But if you're going to choose certain people over others when push comes to shove, I can't promise that I'll be there the next time you need help, not when split second decisions can put us all in harm's way,"
"I know," Rey said quietly, the truth bearing on her shoulders like a weight. She wondered when her sense of entitlement had begun clouding her judgment.
Poe stood up. "Just take some time to think about what we discussed," Poe said as he exited the cockpit, leaving Rey alone with her thoughts.
Rey entered the chambers where Ben slept, doing her best to remain quiet as she took a seat on the floor next to his bunk. He looked so innocent lying there with his eyes closed. Gingerly, Rey stroked his hair, brushing it out of his eyes so she could get a better look at the face she'd come to treasure.
"What have you done to me?" she whispered. "Many run from the First Order, but today I chased after them so I could find you,"
There was no response, only silence as Ben's chest rose and fell.
"I was so scared," Rey confessed. "When I entered that room I thought I'd found Kylo Ren. I don't know what I would have done if that had been the case. In good faith I could never join you if that man were to re-emerge. But even then, knowing what I know now, I would still try to fight for you," Rey tucked a loose strand of hair behind his ear. "For us,"
"I watched you die," Ben said, his eyes still closed. Rey jolted back with a start. She had no idea he'd been awake, or for how long.
"Ben?" she asked, taking his hand as he slowly opened his eyes.
"I watched you die in that room a thousand times in a thousand different ways. In the first few hundred, you always died in my arms. After a while I learned the pain lessened if I rejected you," Ben's eyes locked with hers. "I didn't mean what I said earlier. I just didn't believe it was really you,"
Rey cupped his face in her hands. "It's okay," she said, surprised by the tears welling in her own yes. "I won't let them hurt you any more,"
Ben covered her hand, interlacing his fingers with hers. "I won't let what I saw become a reality," he promised. "You're the only living, breathing person that makes sense in this universe any more,"
"Then let's change that," Rey said. "Let me help you show the galaxy who Ben Solo really is,"
Ben smiled sadly. "Your optimism knows no bounds," he said, "But I do not think the world is ready to see me as I am just yet,"
"Then let me wait with you until it does,"
Ben's eyes widened at Rey's suggestion. "No," he said after a moment. "The Resistance needs you, and Luke needs you. There's still so much you can learn from him,"
"There is no set end date for my training," Rey said. "It doesn't have to finish this year, not even the next. And the Resistance has many capable pilots, one of which is flying this very ship," Rey placed her chin on the mattress. "Right now, the most important thing for me is making sure you're okay,"
Ben touched her face, trying to verify she was, in fact, real. "If I can survive these last few days, I can survive anything,"
Rey stood up. "Then for my piece of mind, let me make sure," Slowly to prevent any additional harm to his injuries, Rey crawled onto the bunk, lying down with her back facing Ben. He slid his arms around her, determined that this time her soul would not depart as he held her.
Out of respect, neither tried to make a move on the other. They just lay there, content with silence after all they'd been through. And so they rested, savoring each other's company as both drifted towards the dreamy abyss. It was right before Rey entered this euphoric state that she heard Ben whisper, "I love you,"
[To be continued in the fourth installment of "The Reylo Chronicles", "The Girl From Jakku"...]
[July 2017 update: If you enjoyed this story, I've written a one-shot spinoff titled "Scars of the Past"]
