Chapter 3

It was difficult for Poe to wait very long. And it certainly was difficult to be around Rey; he could never quite look at her the same way again. Finn did a far better job of keeping a poker face, acting like nothing was wrong.

All the while, the men and Rose observed Rey further. They hid in Rey's closet a second time and observed her have a secret meeting with Ben. Interestingly, no secrets of war happenings were revealed from one side to the other. It pretty much consisted of... declarations of love. Tender kisses and caresses.

Finally, though, Poe could wait no longer. Behind Rey in the mess hall line one day, he came right out and asked: "So: how is the Supreme Leader?"

He noticed Rey immediately tense, her eyes narrow in fear, like she was a cornered animal. Yet her voice was tensely even as she asked, "Excuse me? I'm not quite sure what you mean, Commander."

"I'm sure you do," Poe replied, failing to keep himself from sounding so short. "Does... Ben even know everything?"

Rey spun around to face him, even as Finn - directly behind Poe - became aware of the conversation's direction and angrily elbowed Poe in the ribs. The Last Jedi, meanwhile, looked speechless. "How do you...?"

"We saw you talking with him," Finn explained, his voice heavy. He wanted to kill Poe for approaching the issue, forcing it, so soon. But it was too late to turn back now. "How did he get in here, Rey?" And he tried to counterbalance Poe's impulsively judgmental tone by sounding as gentle as possible.

Rey's breath hitched and - to Finn's distress - she began to cry. "Please don't send me away!" She pleaded. "I haven't betrayed the Resistance; I would never! Never!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Finn held up his hands, getting between her and Poe, even as he sent the Commander a look that clearly stated, You've done enough. "No one is accusing you of anything, Rey. We've been... concerned about how you have been feeling. And now that we know a little more..." His voice trailed off, and he pursed his lips in an attempt to re-organize his thoughts. "Rey, if you were in any trouble, you would tell us... right?"

"We love you!" Rose inserted herself for the first time. "We want to help you, but only you can tell us if you need help."

Rey looked between them all - even Poe, who contritely could not bring himself to return her gaze. The tears continued to stream down her cheeks, even as - oh so slowly - she revealed a tentative expression of hope.

"I do need help... only not in the way you think. And... it's a long story."

"When I was captured off Takodana, Kylo Ren interrogated me," Rey explained. She was holding court in her room, Finn and Poe and Rose gathered around her. "He tried to enter my mind with the Force, but I resisted. And that is when my powers really began to awaken. Our interaction then cemented what is known as a Force Bond. But even then, long before we met, I would have... dreams of him. Even on Jakku, as a little girl."

Rey paused when she noticed Poe looked slightly naseous. "It wasn't like that, Poe," she explained. "But it seems that, for the longest time, the Force was drawing Ben and I together."

"Like destiny, then?" Finn queried. "The Force wants you to be with... Kylo Ren?"

Rey laughed shudderingly. "I know it sounds a little funny. But... yes?"

Poe now spoke up tentatively. "Are all, um... are all Force Bonds meant to be romantic?"

"I don't know, exactly," Rey replied honestly. "What I do know is that Force Bonds are not very common. I've been reading a bit about them in these books -" and she pulled from her closet the Jedi texts she had stolen from Luke Skywalker. "- and I can only find one other Force Bond that was... romantic, like Ben's and mine. Bastila Shan, a Jedi of the Old Republic, thousands of years ago, fell in love with a Jedi-turned-Sith Lord, Darth Revan. She developed a Bond with him, brought him back to the Light. They fell in love and married. Even had a child."

At the word child, Finn visibly squirmed in his chair, but Rey didn't seem to notice.

"So... how does the Force Bond work? We could see Kylo Ren here in our base. Did you summon him?" Rose frowned, trying to understand.

"Yes... and no," Rey tried to explain. "Ben's and my Bond allows us to sense each other's thoughts, feel each other's feelings. It can also allow us to communicate as if we are in the same room, even if we are physically lightyears apart."

"So, you're saying it was just a vision of Kylo Ren we saw?" Poe clarified.

"In a way, yes. We can even touch each other sometimes..."

"Hold it: back up," Poe interrupted. "If he is just a vision, how can you touch him? I mean, your hand would just go right through him..."

"The way our Bond is now, most of the time it would," Rey bit her lip. "But... I think that's changing. Our Bond is growing stronger. The one time Ben visited me on Ahch-To, we touched hands. Which... leads me to something else I should tell you all." Letting out a shaky breath, Rey announced. "I'm pregnant."

Finn promptly toppled out of his chair. "What?!"

"I'm going to have a baby," Rey smiled weakly, and her voice was actually filled with breathless delight.

"His?" Poe stared. "Kylo Ren's? So you both have actually... you know..."

Surprisingly, Rey shook her head empathically. "Yes, Ben is the father. But... we've never had sex." She blushed. "I think he got me pregnant when we touched hands. And I think... the Force helped him."

"The Force can get you pregnant if you just touch someone's hand?" Rose stared. "I would so dig that!"

Rey burst out laughing. "I don't think it's that common, Rose. It likely happens between two people in a Force Bond only. Only between Force-sensitives."

There was a moment of silence before Poe finally spoke, trying to keep his voice as neutral as he could. "So... you really are in love with... Ben? And he with you? And why do you keep calling him that?"

"Because," and Rey's eyes were earnest. "There is still good in him. I've felt it. He killed his Master, Snoke, to save me. And I know he loves me back truly. If he had any ulterior motive, or his love was insincere, I would know it through our Bond. I think... I think I can turn him back to the Light. I think I can save him."

Another silence as her three friends digested this claim. "So... what do you do now? Why hasn't he turned yet, or seeked you out?" Finn inquired.

"He's trapped in the First Order," Rey explained. "I know it seems strange, given that he's the Leader, but he's still trapped. He's surrounded by his Knights, advisers. And they wouldn't let him escape so easily."

Rose bit her lip in thought. "So... right now... all we can do is...?"

Rey smiled. "Help me prepare for this baby."