Aboard the Millennium Falcon, Rey's wrecked body rested against a firm bunk mattress. The same one she had collapsed on many nights, after her training. The very room in which Ben once inhibited. His presence had always been about in this space. Yet, Rey had not recognized the remanence of his energy until that very moment. As body leaned forward, a sharp pain in her side forced a gasp. Strained eyes glanced over the neatly wrapped bandages on her waist. The memory, of only moments before, forced her face to glow a scarlet red. Reaching up, her hand covered her mouth.
...
Rey knew it was useless to protest, as Ben carried her to the Falcon. His powerful arms clasped her like a piece of delicate glass as if she could break. After reaching his old sleeping quarter, he placed her ever so gently onto his old mattress.
Without any trouble navigating the space, he found an old first aid kit. Everything in the Falcon was exactly as he remembered, with the exception of a couple of technical upgrades. Feelings of nostalgia washed over him. For a moment, body paused and studying the container, before wiping the dust off of it.
Upon returning to her side, he stripped her of her wet clothes. First, his hand grasped and pulled her belt loose. By doing so, he was granted access to remove her vest and tunic. Unstable hands continued down to untie the string which secured her pants. For a moment, he struggled to get them undone. Once they were successfully unfastened, he tore her pants off her. A chill pulled across her skin as she sat in only her undergarments, which had become mostly transparent in their wet condition.
If the moment had been uncomfortable for him, his face showed no tell. Yet, there was an unseen tension between the two. Ben offered her a thin blanket to drape over her shoulders, as he inspected her. Rather than lips forming words, his eyes would speak to her.
Seldom did her remorseful stare meet with his own. However, when their gaze met, his feelings might as well of flowed out in the form of words. For that moment, she understood and shared his feelings. Her flushed cheeks grew a bit warmer, at the thought of him, and the ways his fingertips smoothed over her damped skin.
Her modesty came not from her exposure, but rather from his unexpected gentleness. It was like meeting him for the first time, yet always knowing him. Soft curious eyes watched his every movement and stopped to linger at his lips. Mind drifted to thoughts about how it felt when they graced the length of her hand. The memory made her shudder and caused her to clench a fist.
The thought moved into a deeper abyss, as she wondered what it must have felt like to have his lips on top of her own. If only her daydream had ended sooner, than perhaps her memory could have served her better. Her lips pulled into a half grin as she thought of her first encounter with another's lips. Soon, her grin grew into a small smile, which she desperately tried to repress.
Ben's movements momentarily ceased, and his dark eyes crept back up to hers. It was as though she had spoken her thoughts out loud. A tortured kind of expression consumed his face, while a heavy breath expelled from his lips. Her pounding heart was like a melody to him. He would remind her of the feeling if her mind continued on with those thoughts.
The moment that had brought them together was soon to slip away. Knowing that, made her ease closer to him. If she allowed him this intimate moment, it would break the unseen barrier, which kept them at arm's length.
His large hand warmed her chilled skin as it graced her side with a soft stroke. Fingertips eased right below her breast. He leaned forward to meet her lips. So near that tip of his nose brushed against her own, while his arm cradled around her back and pulled her to him.
Though his handling was with ease, she winced out in pain. Ben quickly pulled back. Face overcome by fear that he might have caused her harm. Her pain reminded him of his duty, and so he would refrain from being so forward again.
The examination concluded that Rey had fractured a few ribs. He finished bandaging up her wounds before disappearing off the ship. The moment was lost.
...
Rey stumbled as she took to her feet. After his departure, her tired body had given into rest. The thin blanket was pulled around her nearly bare form. Opening a storage closet, her hand grasped a hold of a spare change of clothes. After carefully slipping into the gray cloth garments, bare feet carried her into the Falcon's cockpit.
Ben felt her presence silently standing at the entrance. Without turning, he muttered for her to join him. Resting back in the co-pilot's seat, his eyes darted over to watch her slide into the pilot's seat beside him. It took all his strength to not protest the fact that she was already out of bed when she should be resting. Again, silence consumed the drafty room. Two pairs of longing eyes glanced anywhere, but at each other.
Mind began to slip away as Rey's attention focused on the condensation that was forming over the window. The fusion of warm with cold blocked her from seeing beyond. Instead, she would have to advert those dreary eyes elsewhere. His expression was less than confident, unlike before.
Feeling her eyes upon him caused him to meet her gaze. Again, he said nothing.
For reasons as unknown as the vast reaches beyond the galaxy, his silent gaze felt comfortable. Those dark eyes no longer frightened her, but rather pulled her in, as if they were a black hole. "Thank you for..." she started to express words of gratitude that seemed to echo about the quiet steel room.
Though her words were kind, they cut and burnt him like a blade made of fire. "Don't. Those are words that I never wish to hear you speak to me." His response was not near as warm as the feeling of his touch only hours before.
His cold tone forced her to retract, and she quickly stood. "I will do and say what I please. I say those words to you now, and I hope to say them again."
Arising from his chair, he stood to tower over her. "Then, I am afraid that you will have to get used to disappointment." Feeling unworthy of her kindness prompted his furry. Ben knew he did not deserve her gratitude, nor her affections. Furthermore, he had a history of letting down those he cared about.
Taken back by his harshness, she disguised her sorrow behind a glare. "Forgive me, I am now reminded of your true character."
Dark haunting eyes fixed on hers. He could see the lament behind her blaze, for the reflection of his own silhouette, quaked within her watery eyes. "Tell me, what do you make of it?"
"Very little."
He had underestimated the power of her words, and how they could wound him. Before he could muster a retort, she snapped once more. "Besides, I am used to people disappointing me."
A hard gulped pulled down his throat, and her response had momentarily silenced him. Though he wished to hold his head down with shame, remorseful eyes stayed locked on hers.
Her gaze was like looking through the past. Within it, he saw the girl he had spent nearly eight years comforting within dreams and visions. His presence had left her shortly after his twenty-third birthday, just before the child had grown into a young woman… The woman before him was not the girl he remembered.
While being entangled with the dark side, he had mostly forgotten her. Ben had even forgotten himself when he became Kylo Ren. That is until he and his knights embarked on a mission. While pursuing a rumor of the whereabouts of Darth Vader's lightsaber, Kylo Ren stumbled on another saber from legend. It was then, that he acquired Obi Wan Kenobi's lightsaber instead. A shock that sent him to his knees.
Just has Rey had seen Kylo Ren in her vision; he had seen her. However, six long years had passed, and he did not recognize her. The woman before him was a sad kind of beautiful, and he felt a pull towards her. A pull that tugged him away from darkness. However, he repressed the feelings that drew him to find her. Their connection flowed wildly through the force.
Every event, between now and then, happened to bring them together. A force so strong, that it tore the snowy ground of Starkiller Base in two, which ultimately ended their confrontation.
In truth, from this day forth, he would use every bit of his strength to keep from disappointing her again. If only he could retract those harsh words, but it was much too late. Especially since he was trapped within her glazed eyes.
While mind stumbled over its own thoughts, words of empathy were lost. His plea of a false truth wounded her. An intense expression studied her face. Upon looking her over, the tenseness around his eyes softened. Moving forward, Ben appeared as though he could kiss her.
Feeling the pull, she eased forward toward his lips, and let out a sharp breath. Before they met, she turned away.
As she began to flee the drafty space, he grasped a hold of her arm. "Rey..." his words pleaded for her to stay. Had his pride allowed it, he would have gotten down on his knees and begged. Instead, he released her and watched as she slipped away into the shadows of the hallway.
As she made her way down the narrow passage, a longing gaze turned to look back.
...
Before the night gave into daybreak, Ben sought-after her. He could no longer hold in his thoughts, nor his self-control. Perhaps, delirium brought upon by exhaustion had hijacked his mind. Blood was pumping through his veins like a raging river. The haste that fueled his desire to speak with her, came not from anger. Instead, it was sparked through a truth that he wished to speak. He would make sure that he said what he meant this time. Even more so, she would listen to every word.
Making his way through the lounge, he entered the room which housed that old bunk. Disappointment washed over him at the sight of an empty room. Currently, her presence was not on the ship. Her lack of appearance did not stop him from entering her personal space. Making his way through the room, Ben glanced around at her few belongings. Once he was done admiring her trinkets, tired feet stumbled over to her bunk.
The energy within the room was calming. For, the entanglement of both of their presence brought harmony to the small space. Yet, it was the sweet aroma of her scent that conquered his thoughts. A fragrance so potent that it lured him to rest his head down upon her pillow. While breathing in her essence, his eyes closed softly. Dreams ran frantic with his thoughts of her, which lay dormant deep in his subconscious mind. His true desires and fears were soon to present themselves.
...
Once again, Rey sought the advice of her master. Luke hovered silently over fresh graves. Strong winds blew at his dark robes, as footsteps approached from behind.
"You did that all by yourself?" Rey seemed troubled that he had not asked for her assistance, in burying those who had fallen, during the night.
"Ben assisted me." Words spilled from his tightened lips, as he turned to face her.
The look in his eyes was one of which she had never seen before. Though his stance was strong, she could see beyond his firm exterior. Luke's spirit was troubled. "I see. May I ask you, what did you say to him?"
Without hesitation, he replied, "I told him what he needed to hear."
Rey paused and struggled with pressing forward, with more questions, or not. "Forgive me, for my intrusion on the matter, but I must know... how did he respond?"
"Rey, you have grown strong enough to trust your own judgment. If you look deep enough, within yourself, then you will find that you already know the answers. If you want to continue to grow, you must move forward. Trust yourself. Trust the force. It will guide you, for I no longer can." Luke's gaze left her and peered over in the direction of the Falcon.
Somber eyes trailed along with his. "You are suggesting that I should leave?"
He offered her a simple nod. "Ben informed me that the resistance is in need of my aid. The First Order is planning an attack. Therefore, it is also time for me to stride as well. General Organa, my sister, I must go to her at once."
Her hazel eyes lit as words flowed out. "We can help you."
Those words were quickly shot down by Luke rejecting her with a gesture of the head. "You have other matters to attend to. During my absence, you are to travel with Ben as your companion. I have already informed him on the coordinates. It's a planet unlike any you would remember seeing. There, the Republic will be holding a conference. You must go and inform them of Snoke's intentions. Once I am reunited with Leia, we will meet you on that planet."
Rey found strength in Luke's trust in her. "Give my love to the general." Her lips curled to form a smile, in acceptance of her new mission. "And tell her, I will look after Ben. Also, if you see Finn, send him my love too. Tell him that I miss him, and hope he is recovering well."
Luke reached out and embraced Rey. "She will find comfort in knowing that. Though Leia has struggled with both the loss of her son and husband, she has never wavered. Nor has she been tempted by the dark side. She is strong with the force. You can assure Ben, that she forgives him. As for Finn, I will let him know. Inform Chewbacca and R2 that we are leaving at daybreak."
After saying her farewells to the droid and Wookie that she had grown to love, Rey searched through the Falcon for Ben. She found him in the place that was unexpected.
Watching him sleep was easy and justified since he had once studied her too. "Ben?" she muttered to see if he would respond. Instead, he laid silent. Her hand reached to gently stroke the strands of hair from his face. The rousing sensation of skin to skin contact soared through her arm, while her warm hand cupped the scar on his right cheek.
The moment her voice spoke out his name, made his dream feel all the more real.
...
"Ben, the child..." Within the realm of dreams, Rey spoke of the secret she meant to reveal upon the white sands. Before he could inquire, her hand grasped his cheek and her lips danced wildly upon his.
In order to pull away, he first mustered all his strength to do so. "What child do you speak of, sweetheart?" His eyes peered down, and he noticed she cradled an infant in her arms.
"Ours, of course."
When his wide eyes met hers once more, he felt a burning pain in his heart. Rey no long grasped the infant, but instead her blue lightsaber. Tears formed in his eyes, feeling more pain from her betrayal than the wound itself.
While still in his trance, Ben let out a loud cry.
...
His scream made Rey jump with fright, and she quickly shook his shoulders. "Ben!" Her heart nearly skipped a beat from his sudden agony.
Abruptly, his eyes shot open with furry. Before Rey could react, he pulled her down onto the bunk and pinned her beneath him. Their chests met with each sharp puff of air. His eyes burned into hers, just like the saber from his dream. Having her pinned beneath him, soon made him forget about the nightmare.
Instead, he thought of their dream child, and how he was certain Rey had seen him too. Such thoughts tainted his mind, and all he could conceive was how he could make that dream a reality. Right now, he could have her.
The warmth that grew between her legs let him know that her body desired more from him. Possessed with passion, he thought of how his large form could crush her own... how he could kiss her in places that would make her beg for more… and how…
His heart began to beat more steadily when he caught her looking back at him. "Forgive me…" Sweat ran down his forehead and landed upon her cheek. Just then, he leaned up and pulled away from her. Hand masked his face with shame.
Rey moved closer to him and pulled his hand away. She held it tight in her own hand. "A nightmare? If we are to travel together, we must be honest with one another."
While tracing his thumb up her hand, he glanced down. "Not exactly. The child you spoke of…was he ours?"
When his eyes met hers again, she froze and stuttered as she tried to answer. "Yes…" was the only word she could muster.
Silence fell about the space, for some time, before worry tugged at her heart. "Then what caused you to feel distraught?" Mind began to make up its own conclusion. "The child..." Words were spoken just as quickly as they came to her.
"No..." Ben frowned at her accusation but held back his frustration. "That part was... nice." A sigh escaped before he continued. "In the dream, you presented the child and then killed me…"
Taken back by his words, she shook her head. "I could never…"
He was quick to stop her. "I know, come here." Strong arms entangled her and pulled her into a gentle embrace. "Let us move forwards Rey. Will you have me as your stand in co-pilot?"
"I will have you as my ally...my companion."
Rey's nerves began to eat away at her as she sat in the Falcon's pilot seat. Once again, she was leaving behind her comrades and fighting a new battle in the same war.
She hoped they would meet again soon. Her hand was on the steering wheel, but she hesitated to blast the Falcon into space. Noticing her pause, Ben placed a reassuring hand atop hers. His touch gave her the strength to move ahead.