Hello guys, here's chapter 12! I'm afraid there's not much going on here in terms of action, but I need it to introduce the next big scene! Please let me know what you think about this one! Xx

Ben sighed, leaning back down on the infirmary bed. The reunion with his mother had left him drained.

At first he hadn't had the courage to look at her. What he had done… he knew precisely how his mother felt. His parents might have been absent for large chunks of his childhood, might have fought all the time, but he had observed them, and he was aware of how much love there had been between them.

Leia had aged gracefully. Ben felt like a child again when she spoke to him with her calm, soft voice.

"Look at me, Ben."

When he raised his eyes and met his mother's he gulped. There wasn't anger in them, just a deep sadness. He thought he would have preferred the anger.

"I won't scream at you for what you did. I won't curse you for abandoning us, for turning your back to the Light and for… for your father. I know why you did it all. I know you regret it and I know you've been changing. I'm working on… forgiveness."

Ben flinched. He didn't deserve forgiveness. He opened his mouth to tell his mother so, but she continued.

"I just can't explain to myself how… how could you ever think that what you did would make you stronger." She paused, frowning and shaking her head. "But honestly, we're in the middle of a war, and I just don't have time to think about all this. I'm not even sure I want to. I'm going to treat you as an ally, because I - we - need you. When all this is over, then… then we'll talk."

Leia pinned him with her dark eyes, and Ben had to make an effort not to squirm. Her words had opened a chasm inside his chest, a sharp pain spreading through his stomach.

He couldn't utter a word. He had expected a lot less kindness, and the strength that her mother had just displayed… Ben wished she could afford to break down and cry. He wished she didn't have to keep up a brave and confident façade all the time; he wished he could wrap her in his arms and support her. Knowing that she couldn't get a break because of him... it killed him. In that moment he felt, with a force he had never experienced, how much pain he had inflicted to her, how much damage he had caused.

"Y– you don't need to be civil with me. You don't need to deal with me at all. Let– let Luke do that so you can… be spared to look at me," Ben murmured.

"And what would that accomplish? I've been looking for you for years. The last thing I said to your father was to bring you home. And he did. I'm not going to let his sacrifice go to waste," she replied, ferociously.

Ben gulped, stunned. His father had brought him home. His eyes suddenly filled with tears.

"I'll leave you to your thoughts now," his mother said, her voice kind once again.

"Wait! I have… I have information I gathered from Hux when I was captive."

"I'm listening," Leia said, leaning towards him, eyes focused and sharp.

"He asked you for Elbara Nine for a reason. The First Order doesn't know exactly where the Resistance base is, but they know it's close to the Core, and they know there are many planets that support it. After the destruction of Starkiller the losses were huge, and they had no time, patience or resources to rebuild a weapon that lethal. But they had been already developing something similar: a smaller weapon, intended to cause damage on a reduced scale, but just as deadly. They're going to bring it on Elbara. They're going to target Mid Rim, Inner Rim and Core planets randomly until the Resistance Base is destroyed."

Leia massaged her forehead, as if to alleviate a strong headache.

"How soon are they bringing the weapon on Elbara?"

"They need to complete it first, but it won't take more than a month at this point."

"Very well. Thank you for this." Leia stood, a crease of worry marring her features.

"M– mother? Or, or maybe... should I– perhaps you prefer General?" Ben asked, uncertain.

Leia watched him, a look on her face he couldn't decipher. "I am your mother Ben, you may call me that."

He nodded. "What are you going to do about– ?"

"About the weapon? I'm going to speak to Luke and then to the Resistance Council. About you? You'll have to go on trial. As soon as we land, you'll be treated as a war prisoner. We know you've been helping us though, so I can assure you that the people on this ship will do everything they can to help you."

"It's more than I deserve. I am humbled," Ben said softly, looking at his hands.

"Good."

Shortly after Leia's visit, Rey, Finn and Poe came back in the infirmary to tell him they would land shortly. The medic droid fussed a little around him, making sure that his bandages were firmly in place, then gave him permission to rise.

In the main corridor, while they waited for Chewie to join them and lower the boarding ramp, Luke approached Ben with a pair of binders.

"Are those necessary?" Rey asked, frowning.

"It's alright, Rey," Ben said, quietly.

"Ben's going to be treated as a war prisoner, Rey, at least until his trial before the Council," Luke told her.

Rey, it's all right, really. Don't worry about me.

How can you ask me that? I'm… I'm always going to worry.

Ben watched Rey's cheeks slowly colouring. His heartbeat accelerated slightly.

Finally, Chewie lowered the ramp, and the Millennium Falcon was suddenly flooded with warm, sunset light. Ben squinted, walking down alongside his uncle.

The landing area in D'qar was packed with people: pilots, technicians, nurses, officials, it looked like the whole base had gathered there to look at him. A lot of the whispers were actually directed at Luke, whose return was as unexpected as it was sensational; but Ben could clearly glimpse flashes of hatred reserved to him in pretty much everyone's eyes. No surprise there, he thought, keeping his expression stoic.

Leia gave him a last glance, and then she was swallowed by Resistance officials, all talking at the same time, all looking from her to him. Ben hoped his presence and their family relation wouldn't undermine her authority in front of the Council members.

Finn and Poe walked past him, heading towards the med bay, nodding their silent goodbyes. Rey and Chewie followed him and Luke through the crowd.

Luckily, Ben's stroll among the sea of hostile people didn't last long. Luke and Chewie led him into a nearby hangar that had been converted into a prison. Rey preceded them, opening door after door, until they arrived to an isolated cell. It wasn't uncomfortable-looking: there was a cot, a chair and even a small 'fresher in the corner.

Ben stepped inside and Luke closed the barred door behind him.

"I imagine the Council will want to interrogate you as soon as possible. Try to rest. Rey will stay with you until the guards arrive. I'll tell them to bring some food and water. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Thank you. And thank you, Chewbacca," Ben said.

The Wookie growled, shook his head, and then he followed Luke out.

Ben sighed, stooping and leaning his head between two bars. Rey walked close to him, resting her forehead against his.

"You'll be out of here soon. When they realise–"

"Rey," Ben interrupted her. "Let's– let's think about that tomorrow. I just– let me just spend these few minutes with you, alright?"

Rey nodded, looking at him with a small smile.

Ben closed his eyes. He knew the Resistance wouldn't be willing to let him roam free. He was a criminal, a few weeks of spying and enduring torture wasn't going to erase the past. But right now he had neither the strength nor the desire to explain it to Rey. He just wanted to feel her breath against his lips, to smell the sweet scent of her skin.

They heard a door opening and then closing from afar. Ben felt Rey shift, and a second later her cool hands cupped his face, caressing his cheekbones with the pad of her thumbs.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she smiled.

Ben could only nod, swallowing. Then Rey closed her eyes and kissed him, softly, tenderly. He was too shocked to respond, and when he finally found his bearings, Rey had already jumped away from him, while two Resistance guards appeared, carrying a tray and a sour expression.

"The General wants to see you," they told Rey.

She nodded, and with a last glance at Ben, she took off.

Leia sighed, mulling over the Council meeting. She had gone back to her quarters, waiting for her brother and the others, anxiously pacing back and forth. Han would have told her Calm yourself down, woman! Digging a damn trench won't solve anything, will it? Then he would have sighed and wrapped her up in a hug. She missed him so much it hurt.

"They want your son dead, how am I supposed to calm down?" she said aloud. How am I supposed to tell Rey, Han?

Someone knocked on her door. She went to open it, and Luke walked inside.

"What did they say?" he asked immediately.

Leia shook her head. Luke took her in his arms, stroking her back and murmuring "I'm sorry. But don't lose hope. Many things can still change."

"They're willing to process him, but the outcome is pretty much decided. They want him dead and I can't do anything about it!"

"They can't kill him, not without harming Rey too. They share a bond, remember? Once we explain it to them, they'll have to change their sentence. You'll see."

Leia looked at her brother and smiled. She hadn't thought about the bond with Rey! Ben was safe. He is not going to die.

Sighing in relief, Leia went to open her door after hearing a soft knock. Rey, Finn and Poe entered, moving their gaze curiously from Luke to her. Rey cocked her head and asked, "What's going on?"

"We all need to prepare for Ben's trial tomorrow. The Council is dead set on killing him, but–"

Rey paled, raising her hands in alarm and immediately interrupting Luke. "Wait. Wait. They can't. I can't… Ben cannot die. I'll– I'll die too," she stammered, tears shining in her eyes.

"We know. We'll have to explain the bond between you two. As soon as the Council members realise they can't kill Ben without killing you as well, they'll change their mind."

"…oh. Right."

Rey blushed a deep red. In her panic, she hadn't thought for a second about the bond. She hadn't thought she would die alongside Ben because their bond would be severed. She had thought she would die if Ben died… period.

Poe gave her a curious look.

Shaking her head, deciding to examine that later, she asked, "What do we need to do?"

Leia intervened. "Ben's trial is tomorrow morning. The Council will list Ben's crimes, and since they greatly surpass the amount of good deeds he has done so far, we need to prepare his defence. I won't be able to say much, being the General and his mother on top of it all, but you, Finn, Poe and Luke can all report about Ben's change, the spy work and the fight on Naboo. And you, Rey, you need to be able to describe the depth of your bond. The Council needs to be absolutely, a hundred per cent convinced that they'll kill you too if they put Ben to death."

Rey agreed, serious and determined. "Prepare me, then."

Luke nodded. "Let's begin."

Back in his cell, Ben was re-living the kiss Rey had given him. It had been the most wonderful and exhilarating experience of his life, and at the same time, the worst.

He had no intention of deluding himself into thinking that Rey could reciprocate his feelings. And yet… that kiss had been so lacking in passion and lust, and so full of… something else.

Ben shook his head, frowning. Even if by some miracle Rey did reciprocate him, he could never condemn her to a life of contempt, danger and solitude. More likely, he couldn't lead her on with the mirage of a life with him, when he knew he would almost certainly die in the war, or at the hands of one of the two sides, Resistance or First Order, whoever hated him the most.

It was a decision that made his heart ache as if a blade had carved it out of his chest, but he knew it was the right one. No more.