Chapter 20

Rey stood gazing up at the fireworks, her mind wandering aimlessly as she relished the feeling of his arms around her. Yes. This was what was supposed to happen. This was their destiny. It wasn't easy. It seemed like nothing Rey had ever had in her life came easy. But it was powerful. The connection that she and Ben Solo had reached over space, war, and two years of peace to bring them back together again.

After a moment, Ben took her hand in his. "Come with me," he whispered, leaning down so that his lips brushed against her ear, "I want to show you something."

Rey nodded, turning to follow him as he led her down the quiet streets of the town. They walked side by side, slipping in and out of the shadows unnoticed. On occasion they passed people in the street, but they gave them no attention and went on their way without word. It was a blessed relief. After becoming the symbol of the Alliance, Rey had lost all privacy. Everyone wanted a piece of her. To be left so completely in her own business was a deep breath of fresh air she didn't know she needed.

Ben held her hand tight, his fingers entertained with hers. His callouses were rough against her soft skin, and his hand enveloped hers because of its size. She had no idea how strong his hands were until now.

Where was he taking her? Ben held her hand tight, leading her through the quiet streets and finally out past the large wall surrounding the city. In the moonlight they wove around fruit trees and past a small trickling brook. The air smelled sweet, as the harsh sun had given way to a moist and blissful midsummer night. Frogs sang their songs in the deep grass at the water's edge, and fireflies glowed lazily where they drifted in the warm breezes like tiny blinking stars.

After walking tirelessly together in silence, they finally broke through the cluster of trees and into a clearing. Rey stepped into the moonlight and gazed up at a ship. It took her eyes a moment to adjust to the dim light, but her as her mind registered what she was looking at her mouth dropped open. "By the stars," she muttered, stepping closer, "Is that a Mantra Seven?"

She could feel the pleasure radiate off Ben like warmth from a sun, "Yes."

Rey stared up at the spherical ship. It was the shape of a half moon, with cockpit off to the side. It was a similar design to the falcon, but smaller. It was a lightweight freighter. She instantly recognized the design because it was the ship that so many others were based off. An original, it was the fastest, and also the rarest of its make. Built for deep space, it was designed for speed. "Where did you find it?" She breathed, walking up to the ship and placing her hand on the aged mettle, "It's in amazing shape."

"I found it in the junk yard," Ben answered, his deep voice hinting at the pleasure he felt at her reaction.

"You know it's probably over eighty years old?" Rey asked, glancing at Ben in the moonlight.

He nodded, a smile pulling at his lips, "There's a few fractures in the hull. Not space worthy yet, but I'm getting her there."

Rey moved her hand along the underside of the hull as she walked beneath it. A jolt of joyous energy passed through her as she touched the coveted cool metal shielding. There were so many stories about this class of ship. Rey had grown up with tales of the Rebellion, and good night stories of the Mantra Sevens. It had been this ship that had delved deeper into the uncharted territory of space than any other. This ship could outrun anything, turn on a coin, and bounce off suns with nary a scratch. Almost every single model of this iconic ship were in the hands of wealthy collectors, and to find even a scrapped part of it cost a ridiculous amount of credits. "What's her name?"

"She's the North Wind," Ben answered, reaching up and pressing the release button and lowering the ramp leading up and into the ship, "Come on."

Letting go of his hand, Rey walked up the ship's ramp, eyes wide. She had never been inside a Mantra Seven, and with every step she took she felt her heart start to beat just a little faster. As Rey strode up and into the dimly lit cockpit, she felt herself smile in awe.

Ben turned on a light, the yellow glow filling the old ship in a homely warmth.

Rey smelled the old leather, the stink of engine grease, and the familiar aroma of worn wiring and tinkered consoles. She walked up to the pilot's seat, and glanced over at Ben in a silent request.

He gazed at her and smiled, "Go ahead."

Rey sat in the pilot's chair and took a deep breath as she gazed at the re-wired console and readouts, "It's just like I thought it would be," she breathed, touching the buttons softly without switching them on, "I can't believe you found her."

"She was just rotting away," Ben answered, sitting in the co-pilot's seat, "I got her for practically nothing. The owner traded her to me for a speeder repair."

Rey's mouth dropped open and she felt herself begin to smile like a fool, "Amazing."

Ben stood again, taking her hand from her lap and pulling her to her feet.

She let herself laugh as he held her tight against him, smiling. Rey could feel his hard muscles through her clothes, and sensed his pride as he smiled down at her. That smile of his made her feel so weak. So vulnerable.

"Come with me, Rey," he whispered, leaning his forehead against hers, "We can go where nobody has ever even heard of us. We can start over and live the way we were meant to."

She laced her fingers into his thick hair and closed her eyes as she felt his warm breath wash over her face. Rey wanted so badly to say yes. Yes. She wanted it so much. She wanted that life with him. Freedom in its purest sense. But that was so much trust. Such a huge leap. Rey swallowed hard, and felt her insides begin to shake again. "I can't," she whispered, her voice shaking, "I'm scared."

Ben sighed, then leaned down and buried his face against the side of her neck. Deep in his chest he let out a low groan.

She felt his sadness flood over her as he held her tight. He was going to leave with or without her. He had to. Being here, although it was a good place to be, was suffocating. Ben Solo wasn't meant to be a planet-bound mechanic, he was meant to be free. Just as Leia said.

"You know me," Rey breathed, "You've seen me fall, you've seen me grow. But I don't know."

Ben stood up and gazed at her through the dim light, "You don't know me."

"I know this," Rey said, resting her hand on his chest, her fingers feeling his heartbeat beneath the worn cloth of his shirt, "I know who you are deep down. But other than that, you're a mystery."

Ben sighed once more, his lips forming a thin line. "That's fair," he muttered, taking her hand once again, "One more thing I want to show you."

Rey nodded, feeling a rush of relief come over her when she realized that he wasn't going to fight her on this. Instead, she followed him to the inner hull above the engine. This was where the crew would eat, pass the time during space travel, or play a halo game. There wasn't much left except a large lounge booth seat without a table. Blue light filtered in through a five foot round hole in the ceiling above the seat, bathing the compartment in a moonlit glow.

Ben sat down heavily on the aged seat and leaned his head back against the rest to stare up into the starry sky above. As he did so, he pulled her down with him and she sat beside him comfortably and gazed up at the stars. "You were right," she muttered, "Definitely not space ready."

"It won't take much," Ben answered, "Just a retro fitting blast plate. I can find that anywhere. I just like nights like these, that's the only reason why I haven't fixed it yet."

Rey turned to stare at him, "The only reason?"

He felt her gaze and turned to meet it, "No. I suppose not."

She didn't bother to state the obvious. He had been waiting for her. Of course restoring this ship would take time, but he hadn't stressed it. Somehow he knew that she would find her way back to him. "There's something else," Rey whispered, running her fingers up and down the bare skin on his arm, "Something else that I need to know."

Ben's dark eyes flickered in the moonlight, and he let out another sigh as he read her mind effortlessly. "You want to why I fell. "

Rey looked away, "I have to know. I've heard stories. People talk. Some people claim to know. But I don't believe them."

He turned away and gazed up at the stars once more, his mouth opening and closing as he tried to find the words.

To Be Continued!

(I hope to update more soon, please review!)