Time sped by as Ben and Rey travelled towards the Azalea star system, and Rey felt that her bond with Ben grew stronger with each passing day. Even so, Ben seemed to have regressed into his former stoic and untalkative self. Rey sensed that whatever had been done to him on Snoke's ship seemed to have truly caught up with him now, as he slept through most of the first leg of their journey.

The two took turns each day resting in the small sleeping chambers and manning the ship's controls, keeping a close monitoring of the ship's scanners in case they crossed paths with Empire ships or pirates.

After five days of travelling, Rey felt well-rested and nourished. Ben too had noticeably begun to heal, his face gaining more color as he continued to rest and eat regularly.

Despite his quietude, Rey had occasionally gotten Ben to open up to her about some of his memories from his childhood. He told her stories of how Chewbacca would carry him around when he was little, as well as how his parents would tell him about their past adventures with Luke. Rey noticed that Ben's eyes seemed to light up when he relayed these memories to her, reflecting on them fondly instead of with disdain.

Rey enjoyed his stories, and she in turn told him some of her own, of her scavenging on Jakku, how she was pressed to find salvageable items in order to earn food portions, and how she often had to fight off thugs and bandits. Ben appeared sympathetic when she told him these things, but she assured him that growing up alone on Jakku had taught her valuable survival skills and made her stronger, more capable to fend for herself.

Rey enjoyed their conversations, but she grew increasingly anxious as each day passed; Ben hadn't attempted to touch her again since Drecenia, much less kiss her. It all felt so platonic. Rey became fidgety, often shooting Ben quick, conjuring looks, feeling too awkward to bring up the subject in conversation. She wondered what was holding him back, or worse—if his feelings about her had potentially changed.

There was a marked seriousness about Ben as they neared the Azalea system, an apprehension that she sensed on his part, and Rey had of course expected him to feel this way, especially now that they were on the last leg of their traveling. But she hadn't predicted that his apprehension would carry over to his feelings about her. Though she didn't show it on the outside, suppressing her feelings from him, Rey felt hurt.

As Rey sat across from Ben in front of the control board, she gazed over at the side of his pale face as he stared ahead at the stars.

"We're only about two days out now, maybe less," he said, his tone distant.

"Ben...it'll be okay," Rey said gently, turning her pilot's chair towards his as he continued to gaze ahead.

"I'm not so sure," Ben said, a tremor in his voice.

"You...do know your mother loves you," Rey said, focusing on his profile.

He turned to look at her, a slight surprise in his eyes. Or was it hope? Ben opened his mouth to speak, but instead stared at her silently.

"Ben," Rey prompted.

"Yes," he breathed.

"When we were both younger—when we were training under L—the Jedi Order," she began, choosing her words carefully to keep the mood light, "were we...friends?"

Ben's eyebrows quivered, a faraway look developing in his eyes. "Yes, certainly," he said. A brief smile spread across his mouth as his gaze shifted, and Rey felt his memories surging. "You were so small...you were the youngest one in training, actually. You would follow me around all the time. You always wanted me carry you around on my shoulders—you'd pretend you were flying, and that I was your spaceship," he said, smiling.

"Would I?" Rey asked, laughing.

"Yes, and I remember how eager you were to learn everything. You were so brave for someone so small," he remarked with another smile, raising an eyebrow as he gazed at her. "But nothing much has changed with you, has it?"

Rey smiled back at him, but it faded from her face. "I wish I could remember what you were like, back then," she said. "Before…."

Ben sighed, his gaze drifting away. "It doesn't matter now," he said flatly. "I'm not the same person as I was before."

Rey felt the ache that rang in his chest, and she wanted so badly to reach out and comfort him, but she restrained herself. Rey wondered if Ben had realized this, as his eyes quickly flickered back to hers. Yet again she sensed his apprehensiveness.

Eyes locked onto his, Rey pressed into Ben's mind and felt him blocking her out. Perhaps because of the strength of their bond, she was able to push past him, and she sensed that his feelings for her did remain, and that they might have even have grown stronger. Yet she realized that he was suppressing his feelings, his emotions bubbling under the surface of strict restraint, and confusion filled Rey. Ben lowered his brows, pushing her fully back out of his mind. Rey rose from her chair, staring across at him.

"You're hiding your feelings," she accused, studying his strained face. "Why?"

Ben clenched his jaw, shifting his gaze away from her. Rey stepped towards him, and he straightened his posture in his chair.

"Why do you suppress what you feel?" She pressed, standing directly before him.

Ben rose from his chair, his face suddenly surly. "You seem so sure of my feelings," he said defensively.

"You realize we have a bond, Ben. I know what you feel, even if you try to hide it from me," she retorted, raising an eyebrow.

"That doesn't mean—I—" He stammered, struggling for words. His hands began to tighten at his sides.

"Why are you so cross?"

"I'm not—cross," he snapped, glaring down at her.

Feeling his tense energy, Rey returned his glare, searching his dark, expressive eyes. "What's gotten into you?" She asked, stepped back away from him. "You're different, you've changed—you seem so bothered by your feel—" Rey was cut off as Ben had swiftly breached the gap between them, pressing an impulsive kiss to her mouth as his hands slid to her cheeks. Rey jolted in surprise, sucking in a quick breath through her nose.

Rey's body began to relax as Ben held the kiss. She moved her lips against his, and he reciprocated eagerly, his hand sliding to the back of her head as he tilted her jaw up with the other. Rey's thoughts emptied, the train of their conversation gone as her body and mind swam with visceral warmth.

Rey gripped at the sleeves of his upper arms, feeling his strong muscles underneath the thick fabric. Ben wrapped an arm around her lower back, pulling her closer to him as he kissed her deeply, hungrily, his tongue sliding against hers. Rey's body pulsed as he gripped at the fabric of her clothing, feeling his desire for her body to be as close to his as possible. Rey continued to pressed herself into him, and they slowly staggered backwards until she felt Ben's legs hit the chair behind him. He briefly broke from her, dropping back down into the chair as his hands slid downwards along her body, remaining on the sides of her hips. His dark eyes were penetrating as he looked up at her.

Rey clambered on top of him, quickly adjusting herself as she straddled him. Leaning into him, she planted a fervent, wet kiss onto his mouth, and he cupped her face. As he kissed her back, Ben's hands slid along her waist, gripping her hips. He kissed her with responsive passion. Rey's fingers twirled and tugged his thick hair as his kisses moved down to her neck, the sounds of his heavy breaths causing her to shiver. Soft sounds escaped her mouth as he pressed his lingering lips along her neck.

Rey felt as if she were in a white haze, sparks forming within her closed eyelids. She felt Ben's fervent desire mixing with her own, swirling and sonorant.

Ben raised his face and kissed her on the mouth again, more slowly this time, sliding a hand tenderly down the back of her head through her tousled hair. Rey paused to catch her breath, her bleary eyes flitting over his ruddy face. She felt his chest rise and fall heavily against hers as she leaned into him, his thudding heartbeat mirroring her own.

"Rey," he breathed, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. He pressed a soft kiss to her mouth, searching her eyes. "I'm sorry. For being cross."

Rey released a breathy laugh, pressing another deep kiss onto his lips. "I know," she said. She kissed him again and again, sliding her hand along his sleeve. She pressed her body more deeply into his, her heart jumping as a soft sound escaped under his breath between kisses.

Ben soon broke from her lips, taking her hand in his, turning it over as he seemed to observe it against his own. He moved her hand up to his mouth, peppering soft kisses from her wrist to the ends of her fingers, his dark eyes flickering up to hers. Electric pulses shot up her arm, spreading through her at each gentle contact of his lips to her hand.

"Why...why suppress this?" Rey asked softly as she gazed at him.

Ben released her hand, sliding his own down to rest at the sides of her hips. He seemed to take her in, his eyes flickering all over her. "Suppression of what I feel is all I've known for the past fifteen or so years," he said, his face twitching. "So with you...you...everything is different. I wasn't used to it. I'm still not," he said, a soft glow in his eyes.

Pressing into his mind, Rey's eyebrows quivered. "You're afraid," she realized. "But what is there to fear?"

Ben opened his mouth to speak, his gaze shifting. "Snoke. I can't let him get to you," he said, his voice lower. "I'm afraid to lose you," he murmured, his flickering back to hers.

Rey traced a finger gently along the faint line of the scar snaking down his cheek. "I'm not going anywhere," she assured, and kissed the same place on his cheek. "After all, we share a Force bond. You're stuck with me," she said, smiling at him teasingly.

Ben stared at her a moment, his eyes stirring. "I've always known it was you," he said quietly.

"What do you mean?" She asked, puzzled.

"I've had dreams—visions—about you, for years. I knew I would find you one day, I just never knew when," he said, his gaze moving around her face. "So when I heard about a girl with the droid—the BB-8 unit—that's all I could think about—you. I kept wondering—hoping it was the girl I kept envisioning."

Rey remained quiet, listening to him intently. His shimmering dark eyes fixated on hers. "I wasn't sure it was you at first... I'd had a vision of you holding my old blue lightsaber, so when you called it into your hands, I realized—it was you. I'd known it all along, but I just had to be sure, because all that time I couldn't believe what I was seeing. A force-sensitive girl from an isolated desert planet-from Jakku—and how hard I'd already fallen—" he cut himself off, glancing away momentarily. Rey watched him, and his eyes returned to hers, his brows furrowing.

He pulled her face to his, gently kissing her forehead, her eyelid, pressing his lips along her face as his mouth trailed down to her own.

Rey kissed him back, fluttering emotion overcoming her as she began to understand his initial hunting of her. It makes sense now, she thought, and parted from his lips. She blinked at him hazily, feeling as if in a trance. Her eyes began to refocus as Ben narrowed his eyes at her.

"I wonder…" he breathed, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Rey tilted her face, puzzled, and he swiftly stood from the chair, lifting her up with him. She giggled as he flipped her around, ducking his head and pulling her up onto his shoulders. He gripped her lower legs, turning his face to look back up at her.

"This doesn't bring back any memories?" He asked, his face bright.

"No, it doesn't," Rey laughed, leaning over his head. "But my head is about to hit the ceiling here." She leaned her face down to the side of his head, kissing his cheek, and she thought she saw his face flush. Ben lowered himself, releasing her legs, and Rey slid from his shoulders onto the ground.

She watched Ben as he stepped forward to the control board, gazing out at the stars ahead. Rey felt his anxiety return, and she stepped up to his side, rubbing his sleeve.

"Everything will work itself out," she said soothingly as she traced her fingers across his arm. "Once Leia and Luke know the truth...it will all be fine, I know it will."

Rey felt Ben's comfort at her gesture, but she watched the profile of his face closely. She couldn't help but feel that there was something he may be hiding from her, though she couldn't perceive it in his mind. Ben abruptly looked down at her, and Rey returned his gaze, wondering if he had just read her thoughts.

He leaned down and kissed her softly, his fingers lifting her chin. "I'm going to go rest for a while," he said, smiling softly, and turned to leave the control room.

She sat back down in the pilot's chair, gazing thoughtfully out at the passing stars. She reflected on how intimidating, how brutal Ben could be towards an adversary, yet with her he became so gentle, so human. With her, he was just Ben.

As Rey sat thinking about him, she grew restless, even lonely, her body still flushed from her recent passionate experience with Ben. Despite having felt his feelings for her again, his warm embrace, his lips against hers, Rey was only left wanting more. She had the growing impulse to wake Ben, to lay against his body as she had before on Drecenia.

Unable to control her driving impulse, Rey tip-toed to the metal door of Ben's sleeping chamber. She paused before it as she sensed that he was still awake. She pressed the control button and the door slid open to the small, dim room. She saw Ben's long, prone figure, and the door closed, forcing her eyes to adjust to the dimness.

"Rey?" Ben prompted, his voice heavy. She moved to the edge of the bed as he propped himself up onto his elbows. "What's wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing's wrong," she said, swaying on her feet, hesitating. Ben stared at her, and Rey sensed an uneasiness about him.

She slowly climbed on top of the bed, and Ben sat up quickly.

"Rey, what do you want?" His voice was tremorous.

Rey leaned towards him, but he leaned slowly away from her.

"Why are you in—you can't—" Rey pressed a finger to his mouth, cutting him off. He watched her cautiously as she leaned towards his face, her brows knitting as she stared into his dark eyes.

"I love you, Ben," she said, sliding her hand down from his mouth. She leaned closer to him, her face hovering before his as she gazed into his dark eyes intently, and she felt the spike in his heart rate as she pressed a hand onto his chest. "I love you, and I want to be with you, as lovers do. Show me—"

Ben abruptly pressed his hand over her mouth, staring at his hand as he did so. An intensity passed through his eyes as his eyes flickered back to hers, his brows drawing together.

"I love you too, Rey, you know that," he said, leaning towards her as he slid his hand from her mouth. Rey's lids lowered as he seemed about to kiss her, her chest tightening in nervous anticipation. She let out a small gasp as he swiftly scooped her into his arms, sliding off of the bed with her. He carried her through the doorway of the room and set her down onto the ground, leaving Rey blinking confusedly up at him. "And that's why you need to stay at the ship's controls," he said. Ben backed through the closing doorway before she was able to protest.

Thanks for reading, and more importantly, for your patience! We're nearing the end of this episode, so hold on Padawans. What do you foresee with Ben and Rey's relationship? Is something really holding him back? I know we're all waiting with bated breath for a real love scene here, so what's the deal, Ben? Why must you be so full of angst?