AN: Thanks as always for reading and reviewing!

"Without a Heart"

By EsmeAmelia

Chapter 13

Rey was curled up in the smuggling compartment, hugging her legs as footsteps and voices echoed above her. Luke, Leia, Chewie, 3PO, and R2 had entered the Falcon by now, and so far no one had found her, though every footstep made her flinch.

No, she thought, concentrating on every word. Don't find me, don't find me, don't find me. She imagined a bubble around her, a Force bubble that would block everyone's senses and render her invisible. Maybe there was a bubble protecting her from the outside world, maybe the Force would help her stay hidden.

Several minutes seemed to pass, during which she hardly dared to breathe. Don't find me, don't find me, don't find me. She kept the bubble idea pressed in her mind. Don't find me, don't find me, don't find me.

Finally the floor under her started to vibrate.

The Falcon was finally taking off.

She was on her way.

. . .

In, out, in, out . . .

Han was huddled under the blanket, listening to that sound as his mind raced. No one – not Luke, not Leia, not any other Jedi – had ever indicated that he was even remotely Force-sensitive. He sure as hell couldn't read minds or levitate objects or anything like that. The one time he had used Luke's lightsaber to cut open the taun-taun, its weight had nearly pulled his hands down.

And the dream had been simply that – a dream.

Even though it felt so real . . .

No, no, this was ridiculous.

He was too old to discover new things about himself.

Right?

What if it was true? What if he did call to Leia?

Then she could be coming to rescue him right now and heading right for whatever trap they had planned.

He closed his eyes, trying to let the sound lull him back to sleep. If he went back to sleep and returned to the dream, maybe he could warn Leia not to come.

At least he had already warned her about Rey.

All right, go back to sleep . . .

In, out, in out, in, out . . .

Several minutes passed and sleep didn't come. He tried to imagine himself snuggled up back in the old bed he once shared with Leia, back when he could actually breathe, back before all this shit happened. He imagined the sensation of taking slow, deep breaths, but the sound always kept him from immersing himself in the fantasy. Come on Han, go to sleep! You need to warn Leia!

Damn, he was crazy.

"Leia," he finally said, "I dunno what's goin' on, but don't come to rescue me. Ben knows you're comin'."

Of course, even if she could hear him, she would come to rescue him anyway. He couldn't stop her from exploring the dream, after all. The thought made him want to sigh in frustration, but of course he couldn't do that either. His one hand clenched into a fist and his wrist stump felt empty in its inability to do the same thing.

"Leia, I know I can't stop you from comin' here, but be careful. Ben's gettin' something set up." What was he doing? Thinking he could protect Leia by talking to empty air? Trying to reach her in his sleep? Maybe he was finally losing his mind – and who could blame him? Most people might have already gone insane by now.

He turned over to face the wall, the machine in his chest poking him from the inside as it moved. "Honey . . . I need more time. You wanted me to bring Ben home – maybe I can. He's been . . . well okay, he's been cutting off body parts and torturing me on a regular basis . . . and yeah, he put the lightsaber through me in the first place . . . but sometimes I almost see a bit of our son desperately tryin' to come out, like he's trapped inside Kylo Ren or somethin'." He licked his dry, cracked lips, which did little to moisten them. "That sounds crazy, doesn't it? Maybe I'm just crazy."

He turned over again, which brought fresh soreness to his body and once more made the device poke his insides, but the mere ability to move overpowered any pain it brought. His one hand brushed against the device, feeling cold, hard metal where skin once was. His one foot rested on his ankle stump, feeling like it was dangling on an edge instead of comfortably propped up by his second foot.

"Leia . . . if you do come . . . I dunno how you're gonna react to all the stuff that's been done to me. Hell, I dunno how I'm gonna handle the outside world like this." How would he handle it? Maybe he could get used to an artificial hand and foot, but what about his breathing? What about never smelling again? For that matter, he didn't even know how to maintain the thing in his chest – would it just stop if he didn't figure it out?

His head sank into the pillow as memories of his old life with Leia and Ben swirled into his mind and yet again he wondered how everything came to this. That endless question of why? pounded in his head without any answers. Even if a rescue party came and they all got out alive, what about Ben? Would there be no hope for him?

"Ben?" he suddenly whispered without thinking. "Can you hear me? You said I got the Force, so are you listening?" He was drifting into semiconsciousness, but still whispering. "I wanna talk to the real Ben . . . yes, the real Ben. My son . . . I know you're in there . . . listen to me . . . please . . . don't make me give up on you . . . please . . ."

He fell asleep.

. . .

It seemed like hours passed in the smuggling compartment. Maybe Rey dozed for a while or maybe she didn't – the line between sleep and wakefulness was blurring, but the bubble was always in the back of her mind. Don't find me, don't find me. So far no one had found her – did that mean it was working?

Her stomach growled, but she bit her lip in a refusal to acknowledge it. She could go without eating for however long it took to reach Han - it wasn't like she didn't have experience with hunger.

Then she realized she had to use the refresher.

She dug her teeth further into her lip, drawing a small amount of blood that brought its unwelcome metallic taste. Come on, she could deal with this. What was a bit of physical discomfort compared to whatever Han was suffering?

Another unknown amount of time passed with the discomfort building and the stomach growls growing louder. She ground her teeth, wishing the Falcon would just land, but nothing happened. Maybe she could quickly sneak to the refresher without anyone catching her. It wouldn't take too long.

Besides, they were in hyperspace. It was too late for anyone to throw her off the ship.

Slowly, cautiously, she lifted the floor panel above her and peeked around. When she saw no one, she leapt out of the compartment and quietly raced towards the nearest refresher, still keeping the bubble in her mind.

Once she was out of the refresher, she thought she could slip back to the compartment unnoticed if she kept focused on the bubble – but then she rounded a corner and found herself face-to-face with 3PO.

"Goodness!" the droid exclaimed. "Miss Rey, you are not supposed to be here!"

"Shh!" Rey exclaimed, slapping her hand over the droid's mouth, but it was too late. Already Chewie could be heard roaring her name.

Shit, now what?