The ship began lifting off. Frantically Ben tried smashing the walls of his clear cell, but they would not break. He ignited his saber and tried burning through the wall, but it was no use; it was a cage designed to prevent a force-user from escaping. He shouted threats and curses at Hiji Ren, who paid him no heed as he sat in the ships cockpit and began flying the craft up out of the Coruscant underworld. Once free of the Courscant atmosphere Hiji Ren planned to gas Ben in his cell so that he could further restrain him and safely confiscate his weapon, but first he wanted to get his ship away from the city planet. He was confident the cell would hold until then.

Rey? REY! Answer me!

He shouted across their bond, but was answered with only silence. He could feel her life fading. He smashed his fists in rage against the walls until his blood stained the once clear barrier. In anguish he dropped to his knees and called upon the force.

He remembered the strength, the power; he had once felt as he fought to save her life on Cloud City, and called upon it again. When he had fought for her, he had been stronger in the force than he had ever felt before. He closed his eyes and focused on the weakening pulse of Rey through their bond. "For her. For her," he thought, as he felt the raw power begin to surge through his veins. With a mighty shove he extended his hand and focused all of his will, releasing a burst so strong that it broke through his cell wall and also tore out the side of the ship.

Suddenly the ship's warning siren started blaring. Red lights were flashing. A vacuum of air began tugging at Hiji Ren from where he sat in the ships cockpit, desperately trying to pull up above the skyline, and not lose control as he dodged the speeders zooming around his damaged ship. So intent was he on trying not to crash his vessel; that he was unable to notice the figure that rose up behind him in the cockpit, but he felt something seize his throat. With a violent jerk he was torn from his seat and found himself floating several inches above the floor, face to face with his former master.

Ben squeezed harder on the struggling knight's throat, and watched as he helplessly thrashed about. When Hiji Ren tried reaching for a dagger Ben effortlessly stopped him, and using the force, pulled every dagger from Hiji Ren's body and tossed them out the gaping hole in the side of the ship. The powerful vacuum of air should have sucked him out as well, but he remained fixed in place though his sheer will in the force, outside pedestrian speeders were struggling to dodge the damaged ship that careened upwards.

He didn't have time to ask questions, but he still needed answers. With no preamble he sliced straight into Hiji Ren's mind and began tearing it apart, desperately trying to find any information that could save Rey's life, and also hoping to find if he knew where Aldo Ren was.

Hiji Ren let out a blood curdling scream that sounded distorted and horrific through his mask as he felt his mind being destroyed from the inside.

To Ben's disappointment he found that Hiji Ren had no clue where to find Aldo Ren, and worse, that he had been telling the truth about the placebo.

"I see; then you are of no use to me," he said as released his grip on Hiji Ren's mind and instead reached into his chest and seized his heart. Hiji Ren's screams intensified, but Ben would show him no mercy. With a furious yank, Hiji Ren's heart burst through his chest and flew into Ben's outstretched hand, it beast one last time, then stopped. He released the lifeless body of the knight, letting it fall to the cockpit floor, and then tossed the worthless heart out the gaping hole in the side of the ship.

I'm coming, Rey!

He called to her as he jumped into the pilot's chair and struggled to regain control of the faltering ship, and narrowly managed to avoid an imminent collision with a looming skyscraper. The ship was heavily damaged, but with great struggle he managed to turn it back and send it into a high-speed dive, back towards the underworld. He prayed to the force that he would not be too late.

He landed the ship ungracefully on the rooftop of the warehouse where Rey still lay. She was unconscious, and when he ran to her and scooped her into his arms, she was no longer breathing. Her face had turned ashy pale, her pulse the faintest of sensations beneath his fingers as he felt her wrist after tearing off the worthless device.

"Rey! Rey, wake up! Don't leave me, Rey! Don't die! Open your eyes! Breathe!" he begged and cried as he tried to rouse her limp body.

He had never healed before. His Uncle Luke had taught him when he was a boy, but he had never been able to master it. He had never once been able to successfully make the light-sided force technique work; he had always been too dark on the inside. He held her body next to him and buried his face in her neck and tried desperately to recall what little he knew of the force healing ability.

But it wasn't working.

"Don't leave! Don't leave me!" he begged her again, as tears streamed down his face.

I love you!

He called to her over the fading bond and with one final effort he summoned every ounce of the force that he could feel, and closing his eyes, he imagined her light; strong, beautiful, warm. He pictured her breathing peacefully beside him as they lay in bed together in the night, where she was warm and safe in his arms. He saw her warm hazel eyes sparkle when they finished squadron practice together. Her fierce beauty and raw power as she sparred with him in graceful form, their sabers crackling against each other. He felt the way her soft hand would trace the scar on his face, the scar where she marked him for her own. And he heard her voice, calling to him.

Ben?

Rey, come back. I need you.

It's so dark.

I'm with you. I won't let you go!

He could see himself floating in the darkness, and he could see her fading light. He could see her there.

Rey! Take my hand!

He begged her, and watched as she reached out for him.

Ben.

She called for him and finally he could reach her. He could feel her hand within his, warm, alive. With all of his strength he pulled her to him, pulling her up out of the darkness. He wrapped his arms around her and allowed the force that flowed through his soul to pour into her, making her light shine brighter until they both glowed together in the void. And suddenly he opened his eyes, and she was looking back at him.

"Rey?"

"Ben…you came for me," she said as she gently reached up to touch his face, which was still streaked wet with tears.

"I'll never let you go," he promised as he kissed her and pulled her tighter to him.

They were both disappointed that Hiji Ren did not have any information on the whereabouts of Aldo Ren. Ben was particularly upset that Rey had nearly lost her life and they were no closer to their goal of tracking down Snoke.

"Our mission was hardly a complete failure. There's one less Knight of Ren to deal with. Snoke will be furious," offered Rey.

"Snoke will want revenge for what we're doing. He still wants me alive," he replied.

"He's a monster. He wants you alive to torment you, to punish you. I won't let him hurt you again," she argued, remembering all too well how cruel Snoke had been to her Ben.

He clasped her hand as they sat together in the cockpit of the Falcon. They were returning to Takodana. They didn't want to just blindly walk into another trap. They couldn't afford to make any more mistakes. They would have to be much more cautious and on their guard if they were going to hunt for Ereus Ren on Tatooine.

They had only been gone a few days, but when they returned to the resistance base they were greeted by Luke Skywalker and Chewie.

"I'm relieved to see you both safe again," said Luke with a smile as he watched Chewie practically crush Ben in a welcoming embrace. He was relieved to see that his old friend was finally on good terms with his nephew again. After he finished greeting Rey, Chewie headed back to the base to tell everyone of their return.

"We were able to defeat Hiji Ren, but we were met with a few…problems," confided Rey. She watched as Master Luke's eyes took on a look of concern. He undoubtedly sensed that something had gone terribly wrong during their mission, but chose not to pry.

"Hiji knew nothing. We were too careless and…" Ben didn't want to continue, he didn't want to relive the moment where he had nearly lost her.

"We're okay," reassured Rey.

"You're so much like your father. Han relied on luck and quick wit to get him out of most of his tough situations, but that's not something one can always rely on. If you're going to hunt for Ereus Ren on Tatooine you're going to need more than luck. Take it from someone who grew up on Tatooine, it's a dangerous world, and not just because Ereus Ren might be there. The Hutt crime lords still oversee much of the outer rim territories, though their power has dwindled much since the days of Jabba. I hear his son Rotta has grown into a ruthless mob boss in the wake of his father."

"We won't go in without a plan this time," replied Ben.

"How are the padawans?" asked Rey, who had been genuinely curious to know how her former master was getting on with his new pupils.

"Well it's only been a few days since the battle on Endor, but I'm pleased with the potential I see. Rando seems to take to mediation well and seems to have a natural gift with Jedi mind tricks."

"I shouldn't be surprised. He did manage to learn how to block deceptions with uncanny efficiency from Fresza Ren. That's a difficult task, even for someone whose had many years of force training," complimented Ben.

Rey was genuinely pleased to see that Ben was taking a liking to the young Calrissian. She wanted him to have friends, such as she had with Poe and Finn.

"Yibya struggles with meditation. He is young and so full of energy I usually request for BB-8 to tire him out a little before his daily training. Running off some of his energy seems to help him focus better, but when he does focus, he's very quick to learn. He likes to levitate things; something that he apparently started playing with before he got here, much to the bemusement of his people, I'm sure."

"And Ashani?" asked Ben.

"She'll have to wait for you two to progress with her path along the force. For now she seems at peace. When Rando is busy training she spends most of her time visiting with your mother. They have a lot in common."

"Where is mother?" asked Ben.

"In her office. She wanted to speak with you both upon your return."

When they found General Organa she was sipping tea and chatting with Ashani Calrissian. They seemed to be getting along nicely. When Rey and Ben walked in Ashani greeted them warmly.

"I'm glad you two are back. My son has been making me proud with his training with Luke Skywalker, but you would help me greatly by encouraging him to pay a little more attention to that pretty pilot girl who follows him around," said Ashani.

"Don't mind her, she's bucking for grandchildren," laughed the general.

Ashani left them alone in the office, smiling at the general's comment on her way out.

"Grandchildren already?" asked Ben.

"Can't say I blame her. Neither one of us got to see our son's grow up, and neither one of us are getting any younger," she said with great implication.

Ben and Rey simultaneous blushed as they sat down before the general's desk.

"How was your mission?" asked the general.

"We have successfully eliminated Hiji Ren. We regret to report that he did not have the information we were seeking. We're planning our move on Ereus Ren now," replied Ben as if he were giving a formal status report.

"Tatooine, I hear? Can't say I have pleasant memories of my time on that planet, but I think I may have some idea of how to help you two get in a little more covertly. I would also suggest asking Rando for his help. I hear that boy is pod-racing crazy and may know a thing or two about some of the things that go on there."

"We're open to ideas. How have things been going here?" asked Rey.

"Quiet, perhaps too quiet. I have this feeling in my gut that the First Order may want to retaliate for having destroyed their scavenging operations on Jakku and Endor. They're bound to strike eventually and I'm beginning to feel it's high time we move the base. We've taken advantage of Maz's generosity for long enough."

"Where will you move it to?" asked Ben.

"We haven't decided yet, and I may have difficulty convincing the rest of the resistance officers of my concerns. They tend to think that unless we're certain our whereabouts have been compromised there's no need to keep moving, but I've seen too many years of war to know that a sitting duck is a dead duck."

Rey and Ben were sitting in the forest, discussing possible plans for their next mission on Tatooine when they were interrupted by Yibya and BB-8 who came bursting into their clearing. BB-8 rolled up to Rey and beeped that he was glad to see her back so soon.

Rey patted the little ball droid and smiled and said 'hello' to Yibya, who regarded her and Ben with curiosity. She was surprised when Ben began speaking to the child in Ewokese, which seemed to please the little one greatly and they shared a back and forth conversation that was interesting for her to observe.

"Only a little?" she questioned Ben with a smile, wanting to tease him for obviously knowing more of the language than he originally wanted to admit.

He blushed a little and said: "Well…I am rusty. I asked him how he felt about learning the force from Uncle Luke. He said he likes it. He feels like a wizard, but that Uncle Luke speaks terrible Ewokese and it confuses him at times."

"And what does he think of your Ewokese?" she giggled.

"He…say's its pretty good, but I'm sure he's just being polite."

"Ask him how he's getting on with Poe and Finn. I hope he likes them."

She waited as Ben and Yibya had their discussion.

"He says he misses his Grandfather, but it's not so bad here. He likes the magical rolling rock," he said pointing to BB-8 who just beeped in acknowledgment. "He does really like the ones he calls 'Old Man' and 'Bird Man.'"

Rey nearly doubled over laughing at the names bestowed on Finn and Poe. Ben couldn't help but join in with her as BB-8 and the young Ewok regarded them in perplexity.

As they walked back to the base they happened upon Rando who was just coming out of the fortress.

"Ben! Rey! There you are! Boy, word spreads like wildfire whenever you two show up. Poe and Finn were looking for you. We all expect you guys to have dinner with us in the mess hall tonight and tell us how tracking Hiji Ren went."

Rey could sense Ben feeling upset across the bond. Nearly losing her had been the worst experience of his life, and at the moment he just wanted to put it behind him and enjoy every moment he spent in her presence. It was hard enough for him to think about endangering her again so soon by going to Tatooine.

"We defeated him, but we had a rough time of it. I hope you won't mind, Rando, if we don't want to go over it too much, besides we need to worry about the mission ahead now. We're going to Tatooine. Has the general told you?" replied Rey.

"She did. You guys know I have stock in several pod-racers and pod-racer pilots out there?"

"We know," they said in unison. It was one of Rando's favorite subjects.

He gave one of his big charming grins. "I swear, I'm bringing it up for a reason this time! I was talking to the general, Ereus Ren is hanging out with the mob bosses of Tatooine; well we thought of an easy way to get you guys in under their radar."

"You and my mother came up with a plan? This ought to be amusing," smirked Ben.

"We'll go over it after dinner, oh and Jessika is joining us for dinner tonight too," added Rando.

"Jessika, eh?" questioned Rey with a smile.

"Well at least someone likes pod-racing as much as I do, not to mention, she's pretty cute."

A note from your humble author: What waits for our heroes on Tatooine? What crazy scheme is in the works to find Ereus Ren? Will there be another lemon on the next chapter? Well, I'll at least answer that last one…yes, yes there will be! Stay tuned for next chapter!

Thanks to all my new followers and readers. I guess nobody likes the story though. ::jingles her empty beggar's cup of reviews::

:*(