Chapter Thirty-seven:

The tall trees rose out of the earth to brush the sky, its sun-dappled leaves creating flickering shadows on the ground. Birds whistled. Squirrels chattered. Insects hummed. The life of the forest seemingly unaware of the two humans facing each other.

A mosquito landed on Rey's arm, but she didn't swat it away. She couldn't move.

Finn was here. Here. Meters away.

It was only a few moments ago that she believed she had so much more time to come up with the apologies and explanations. More time before she faced the ones she wronged – face who she had become.

But lately, it was like Rey was stuck in one of those running wheels for mice: the faster she ran, the faster she didn't get anywhere. Nowhere in the galaxy could grant the distance she needed to get away from herself. Or from others, evidently.

Rey didn't move as Finn walked down the path. Didn't smile when he stopped an arms length away. But she knew that he was glad to see her, knew it because of the way his eyes never left her face.

Her voice barely worked. "What…. How…. Why are you here?"

Before she could blink, Finn swept her off her feet and wrapped her in a warm and comforting hug. "Because I'm your friend, and I needed to know you were okay."

She held on tightly to his shoulders. "How can you say that after what I've done?"

After a moment, Finn put her down, his hands grasping her upper arms as his eyes searched her face. "Rey, Ematt is alive."

…."What?"

"His spinal column was only partially severed. Dr. Kalonia was able to get to him in time before it became worse. He's alive."

Rey was having a difficult time processing what she just heard. "He – he's alive?"

"Yes."

Rey took a few steps back and turned away, her hand clutching at her chest. Her heart was thudding intensely, making her breathing come out sporadically. Am I going to faint? She'd never done such a thing before, not when it came to getting the best news of her life.

I'm not a murderer.

Finn gave her the needed space. "I guess we should all be thankful that Ren didn't teach you how to effectively kill someone. The outcome would've been vastly different," he chided, trying to sound upbeat and failing. Rey stilled. "Sorry. Inappropriate joke," Finn amended. "Guess I'm nervous."

She pivoted to face him. "Nervous? Are you afraid of me?"

"Gods, no!" Finn basically shouted. He took a few steps toward her, then stopped. "I was just expecting you to maybe run away at the sight of me, and…"

"And what?"

He shrugged. "I want to say the right things to you. I'm just not sure what that is."

Rey took in a shuddering breath. "Neither do I." She walked over to a dead log and sat, being careful not to sit on the bed of moss and mushrooms. Finn came over, dead leaves and pine needles crunching underneath his boots. He took a seat on the mushy part next to her.

"How are you?" he asked. "Really."

Rey sighed, a heavy sound that edged toward a sob. "Not well."

"It's the guilt, isn't it?"

She gave a curt nod. Her eyes scanned the trees and bushes as she said, "I'm not sure how to live with it. Ematt's alive, but what I did to him and Ben was horrible."

The wind suddenly whirled between distorted trunks, carrying the distinct smell of rotting wood and mustiness from the leaves. Finn waited for it to die down before saying, "It was difficult to watch."

Rey's posture stiffened as she jerked her head, pushing her hair back to look at him. "Watch? There's a holovid?"

Finn nodded sensitively. "Not many people have seen it, if that makes you feel any better. Just the higher ups, me, and Poe."

She squeezed her eyes shut. "What you must think of me."

Finn angled his torso in her direction. "I think you were that little girl again, the one who was left to fight on her own on a merciless planet. And when you finally found out who was responsible for that outcome, you snapped." He held her hand between his palms. His skin was slightly cold. "Rey, I don't blame you or judge you for what you did. If I was put in that situation, I honestly don't know what I would've done."

"I thought you'd hate me," she said softly.

"No, no, no. I could never hate you. Believe that. I will always be your friend. I will always fight for you. And I will always come after you. So if you run off again, just expect to run into me on a random path that leads to nowhere."

She chuckled. Nodded. Then he gave her back her hand.

For a while, Rey just focused on breathing. On enjoying the company of a familiar face. "You know, I was ready to die with you in that forest, on Starkiller" Rey began to say as she reminisced. "I ran back to you after ending the fight with Ben, and I just put my head on your chest and cried. But then Chewie showed up, and the joy I felt was so pure…" She paused, collecting her thoughts. "I always thought I would die alone, that I would get in some sort of scavenging accident on Jakku and my body wouldn't be found for weeks." Rey met his tender stare. "But dying with you, someone who's my friend, had been the first real privilege I ever had in my life."

Finn nudged her with his shoulder. "Well… I'm very happy we both lived."

As a cool breeze rolled through, Rey tucked some hair behind her ear. "Me too."

"Soooo…" Finn breathed out. "I should probably let you know that Ren is waiting on the Falcon."

"He's here?"

"Yeah. We've been searching for you."

"You two… have been working… together?"

Finn laughed. That was the last reaction Rey expected. "Not gonna lie, I was questioning whether it was a good idea for him and me to be on a ship together. But I think we tolerate each other a lot better now. And I'm starting to get used to his dark sense of humor and how many times he's brought up that he can kill me. So far the count's at four." Finn stopped babbling when he noticed the color drain from Rey's face. "Are you okay?"

No. Rey felt like she was going to be sick. Her gaze went to the dirt surrounding her boots. "I… the things I said to him…"

"I know." Finn leaned forward, trying to get in Rey's line of sight. "But you should know that Ren isn't mad at you either. All his focus has been on finding you. He really does care about you. But if you don't want to see him, you don't have to."

This panicked feeling she was experiencing would be best remedied with a few good laps up and down Ach-To's stairs. But seeing how her options were limited, she picked a stick off the ground, bending it up and down to give at least her fingers something to do. "Could you imagine him coming all this way and not being able to see me?"

"I don't care what he wants. What do you want to do?"

She scraped some of the bark off with her nail. "I'll talk to him." She glanced at Finn. "But can you sit with me a little while longer?"

They both swapped the stories of their travels, with Finn going first. Hearing that Ben saved his life, plus the two Wookies and the bounty hunter, made Rey swell with hope. Sounded like Ben was getting better at being a compassionate person. Though, Finn did describe the whole skirmish on the Eravana rather vaguely, which she thought odd. How did Ren save their lives? Finn didn't say.

Rey found it easy to tell the story of her travels, starting at the end with meeting her grandmother and then working backwards. Finn was as attentive as ever, seeming to follow the out of sequence story with ease. His patience, the way he nodded and asked questions, made it feel like she mattered. Her story mattered.

It was in these moments Rey knew that if she ever lost Finn, she would never recover.

()()()()()

Ren had waited hours on the Falcon for Finn to come back. At one point, he was halfway down the boarding ramp, ready to go find out what was going on. But the planning, rational side of his brain made him turn around and pace out his anxiety. Ren wanted to go after Rey with every fiber of his being, but those fibers were what caused all this. So he needed to give Finn his chance.

And the trooper delivered.

Finn gave a summary of their time together and explained where Rey was waiting. But when Ren came to that bend in the path with the rotting log, she wasn't there. She was close, though. That much he could sense. He felt for her through the Force and followed her flare of power.

As the light began to fade, it left behind shadows and dark patches to surround him. Small, beady eyes of animal life followed him on his journey off the path and through the brush. Ren ignored the briars that caught at his trousers and the twigs that poked him. His focus was solely on Rey.

He stepped out onto a rocky shoreline, the pebbles glittering in different shades of grey and white. Waves lapped the shore lazily, knobby bits of driftwood and lake scum floating along the water's edge. Inhaling, his nose tickled with the smell of wet earth and algae.

His scope became broader, looking at the wide body of water. The sun-painted lake truly was mesmerizing, the colors becoming richer now that the sun was setting.

Rey was sitting close to the shoreline. As he approached, he knew she could sense him. She didn't turn to greet him.

Ren sat on the stony surface next to her. He resisted the urge to hug her. Staring at Rey, she seemed different. Older. Seasoned. The loss of innocence seemed like a crime. But that was growing up for you: your innocence was on a countdown of being obliterated by the circumstances forced upon you.

"Finn told me you found your grandmother," Ren said, his voice sounding like a scream against the silent backdrop.

Rey squinted as she kept her sight on the lake. "I did."

"The last few days have been very revealing for you."

"Almost too revealing," was all Rey said.

Her not elaborating or adding to the conversation made Ren think she didn't want him there. "So… is this it then?" he asked dejectedly. "Are you done with me?"

Rey inhaled deeply. "I don't think we could quit each other if we tried." She locked eyes with him, and earnestly said, "And I don't want to."

The breath left his lungs quietly. He'd been preparing to beg her to give him another chance, been running through what he would say while waiting on the Falcon. Hearing that she didn't want to walk away from what they had almost made him crumble to the hard ground in relief.

Now he just needed to tell her that in no way did he despise her for what she did. "Rey–"

"Don't." She closed her eyes for a moment. "Don't say that everything is fine between us, or that what I did was okay. Because it's not. I know you don't want me to apologize to you, but I need to. I need this." Truly, he could see that this was important to her. So he didn't stop her. "While you did lie to me, I understand the 'why' behind it. What I did… what I said to you, even bringing up your mother… I shouldn't have done that. I shouldn't have made you relive those memories. And it disgusts me that I took pleasure in hurting you."

Ren knew the regret she was in, for he'd been there himself. And while being around caring people helped, he ultimately had to climb out of that hole on his own. Hell, there were times he still felt like he was in it. Probably was. But whether in the chasm or not, he could definitely relate to her. He knew exactly what it felt like to trip and fall and agonize over the sudden impact. The only difference being her pit wasn't as deep as his. So her journey back should be less painful.

Hopefully.

"I hate myself so much for trying to kill that man," Rey continued. "And worse? Part of me wishes I succeeded. Twisted, isn't it?"

His first instinct was to tell her to stop, store the memory away, and never return to that moment. But she wasn't a coward with her emotions. Never had been. "No, it's not."

Her gaze returned to the water. "I was so sure that what I was doing was right; that I was justified in taking his life because of what he took from me. But I've never felt so unlike myself. That darkness changed the way I thought and felt, and it was so easy to give in. And throughout all this, I can't even fathom how you truly must feel over killing your father. In that fraction of a moment, you committed to what you thought you wanted... believed all your problems would just go away. I thought those same things when facing Ematt. Nearly broke me when I realized nothing had changed. And now I feel saved that he's actually alive. But you won't ever get a second chance like that. Your father is gone." Rey's voice lessened, her eyes that were staring so intently at the lake now turning to him. "The horror you must have experienced when you found out that all you ever wanted was a lie." Ren was speechless at how fast she turned the conversation to him, his heart leaping into his throat. Rey's stare softened as she lifted her hand and smoothly traced his scar. "I'm not ready to forgive myself for what I've done, but I'm ready to forgive you for everything. Especially what you did to Han."

He looked away. Rey rested her hand back on her knee. He didn't deserve to be forgiven. Not from anyone. Not from himself. But hearing Rey say those words made him feel like the person he used to be. So selfishly, he took her offer of clemency and clutched onto it.

"But I'm not going to preach to you how you should forgive yourself," she added.

Ren nodded slowly. "You truly understand then?"

"I do."

Silence stretched after that. Ren eyed Rey picking fastidiously at a spot of something on her capris. While his body was content with being still, Rey was fidgeting, a sign that she was either uncomfortable or nervous. He felt it was a mixture of both. Maybe she was wondering over the uncertainty of their relationship, as was he.

But then she calmed, her gaze going upward to the first twinkling stars to shine through the dimming light.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked.

"You've heard it before."

"Then tell me again."

She shrugged. "I'm just thinking about the times I had while growing up when I would look at the stars and feel someone out there." Indeed, they had discussed this before. But he didn't care that she was repeating herself. He just wanted to hear her voice. "It didn't have anything to do with my family, but I could've sworn I was actually connected to someone. And I would wonder if it was real, and if it was, if that person felt it too."

"I did," he reassured her. "All the time. I felt like I should search the galaxy for you."

"But you never did."

His thinking staggered for a moment. She'd never pointed that out so bluntly before. "No. I didn't," he admitted, defeated.

Rey hugged her legs to her chest, resting her cheek on her knees, hair falling forward as she gazed at him. "I wish you would have."

His hand came up to push those soft curls onto her back. She didn't stop him. "Me too. I could have found you before I… changed."

Rey lifted a brow. "How would that have gone? I'm ten years younger than you, remember?"

"It would have gone smoother than you think."

No detail was too small to share as he told Rey of the visions he had while visiting Ahch-To. The picture he described was clear, precise. Especially when he spoke of the possible future they could have had together. If only he had waited for his uncle in that café, all could have been different.

Happier.

Rey was silent for a long stretch of time, watching the last of the setting sun's light cascade its warm hues across the tranquil lake. She inhaled, her voice barely above a whisper. "And this future, it could have happened? You're sure?"

Eyes set upon her, because nothing else could ever hold his interest more, he said, "Yes."

Rey didn't immediately speak. She took air in little gasps. Like a toddler on the edge of tears. "You could have saved me from Jakku? You could have found me before I was internally scarred? I could've had children?"

Even though he could sense the anguish building up inside her, Ren replied with a another yes. And then watched Rey break into emotional pieces.

Ren gathered her up, positioning her so she could face him, her legs straddling his sides. Rey buried her face into his neck, her arms wrapping tightly around his shoulders. Instinctively, he rubbed her back and whispered comforting words, all the while hoping he was doing the whole soothing thing correctly.

He decided to wait to tell her about Kayani's recent visit. Such news wouldn't help her right now.

As his ears rang and his heart broke for her, he held her steady against the gale of her cries. There was a reason why here and hear were separated by so little and sounded exactly the same. He heard her sobs, and stayed with her while she was vulnerable. That was all he could do as she fell apart – for as her tears fell for what seemed like forever, he would've held her even longer than that.

Sometime during it all, Ren lounged back onto the packed stones. Rey wiggled down, resting her head on his sternum. The soft interlude of the breeze soon replaced her sobs. And from Rey's deep, rhythmic breathing, Ren concluded she had fallen asleep.

Carefully, he walked them back to his freighter through the dark, his arms firmly under her thighs so she stayed in the same relaxed position. The whole experience made him think back to when his father would carry him to bed after he'd fallen asleep on the sofa, waiting to see one of his parents. Sometimes Ben had even faked it just so he could get his dad to tuck him in at night.

Coming to her room, he slipped their boots off and lied with her in bed, his arm still around her.

Rey rustled awake, her exhausted eyes shifting up to his. "Can you tell me a story? One you were told as a child as you fell asleep? I read somewhere that parents would do that."

Ren contemplated giving her the simple answer: that his parents never told him any bedtime stories. And while that was mostly true, his mother did, on occasion, tell him one. And he still remembered it.

Ren ran it through his mind quickly, polishing up his memory so he could do the story justice. He cleared his throat. ""There's a legend of a comet that circulates the galaxy, its path traveling through thousands of star systems. Its voyage always repeating. There was one star in particular that shined brighter and emitted more intricate colors than any of the other stars. This gave the planets in that system an attractiveness that none other could match.

The comet always looked forward to coming across this particular part of the journey.

Once the destination finally came, the comet immediately noticed the dullness of the star's light and the cloudiness of its mood.

"Why has your shine dampened?" the comet asked.

"I am in mourning," the star replied.

"What are you mourning?"

"The loss of one of my worlds."

The comet followed the star's gaze, noticing the emptiness of what used to be a stunning world, one that had been filled with the endless waves of iridescent water. "Ah, it is no surprise you weep for your fallen planet. Although I have only ever been a passerby, you alone could truly contemplate the world's beauty close at hand."

"But… was the world beautiful?" the star asked.

"Who better than you to know that?" the comet asked in wonder. "After all, it was your light it basked in each day."

The star was silent for some time. Finally, it said, "I mourn for the lost world, but I never noticed it was beautiful. I grieve because each time my light touched the sea, I would see my own beauty revealed to me. For that is what the world gave me– my reflection.""

As Ren went quiet, he was that little boy again, tucked tightly in bed. His mother stroking his cheek while whispering those soft words. He could still hear her telling him her own analysis of the story: "While some would interpret the star as selfish, I never viewed it that way. Sometimes, true beauty is hidden in the ability to help others accept their own."

Rey sighed, nestling closer. "What a lovely story."

Rey drifted off quickly after that. She was so exhausted and slept so deeply, it seemed to rival death. Rey didn't move for a long time. Not even a twitch.

For Ren, sleep was more pervasive. But that was fine. If he had to be awake, this is where he would want to be.

()()()()()

Sitting in the pilot's chair, Ren pointed to another section of the control board. "What is this responsible for?"

Finn bent forward, his teeth chewing at his bottom lip. "It discharges any built-up static near the plasma combo injectors."

"What if you're flying a non-freighter?"

"I would have to do it manually after flight."

"What happens if you don't have it done?"

Finn opened his mouth, but was interrupted from a presence in the corridor. "The electromagnetic gyroscopes would be at an inoperable angle." Both men turned, seeing Rey leaning against the cockpit entrance. "This is an unexpected sight." She walked further inside, confused. "What's going on?"

Finn spoke up first. "Ren was getting fed up with my lack of flying skills and having to do most the work around here."

With the whites of her eyes showing, Rey looked at Ren like this was the first time she'd ever seen him. "You're teaching him how to fly? You?"

The two men glanced at each other. Ren shrugged. "Someone should do it. He needs to learn."

"Yeah, but…. " Rey hesitated. "Maybe from someone that has more of a teaching personality. Like Poe."

There were no light undertones to the comment, and Rey's face remained unreadable. Ren couldn't tell if she was actually trying to offend him or poke fun at him. "I can teach just fine."

"He actually hasn't been too bad," Finn interjected, although his voice didn't convey much confidence.

Ren eyed him dubiously before saying, "See. I haven't been too bad."

Rey didn't look to be convinced, but she didn't fight him on it. Resting her weight on the back of Finn's chair, she looked over the console to see what levers were pulled, what buttons were pressed. Ren went to resetting everything, thinking that he could give her a demonstration on how he'd been teaching Finn.

"So…" Rey said. "I was wanting to go see Soniee today."

"You think she'll talk to you?" Finn asked

"One way or another, she will. I was wondering if you could come with me?"

Ren adjusted the thrusters back to their usual setting while waiting for Finn to respond to Rey's request. But the guy didn't say anything. Looking over, he saw that Finn was watching him expectantly. Ren glanced behind, meeting Rey's uncertain stare. Then he realized the question had been aimed at him, not Finn.

"You want me to go with you?" Rey shifted her weight and nodded. "I don't make great first impressions."

"I mean if you want to come, you can. I'm sure it would be fine. Just be yourself and be nice."

"Which one?" Finn quipped. "He can't do both."

Ren snapped his head so fast it was a wonder it was still on his neck. "Have I killed you? No? Then I'm being nice."

Finn and Rey shared a look. "That makes five," Finn told her.

Ren stood, getting ready to leave. "What makes five?" he asked, annoyed.

Finn had the audacity to smile at him. It almost seemed mocking. "Just keeping a tally on how many times you threaten to kill me."

Ren rolled his jaw. "If you want to count the times I've thought about it, the number would be closer to thirty."

Ren could feel Rey's unease at what was transpiring, but that grin never left Finn's face. In no way did Ren mean that statement to be humorous.

"Keep your comlink on so I can find you guys if I need to," Finn said. "And while you're gone, I'm going to give General Organa an update on finding Rey. Anything you want to particularly add?"

Ren rotated his shoulders, letting the tension go. For now. "No. Just give her a report," he replied before turning to leave. He followed Rey off the Falcon, walking by her side while making sure not to get too close. Something felt off, like there was a disconnection between the two of them. It made him feel awkward. Uncomfortable.

Rey cleared her throat. "Thanks for bringing my stuff from the base. And for putting it all in my room. It was a nice surprise to wake up to."

"I thought you would like to have your things. I hope I didn't interrupt your sleep."

"Didn't hear a thing." Rey held a long branch back so Ren could get through. "Did you by chance read those datapads by the bed?"

"I couldn't sleep, so I skimmed through them. I didn't know you were so interested in botany."

It took Rey a second longer than usual to answer. "I met a botanist on Spira, actually. He's the one who gave them to me."

"And the pyro flower, I presume?"

"Yeah, that too. Did you water it this morning?"

He nodded. "Did you know that the pyro were in many of the gardens in Baron Hed on Sulon prior to the Imperial occupation of the moon? Then a bacteria threatened–" Ren stopped walking, noticing Rey's hard jaw and tight face. "What?"

Her brows popped, surprised he noticed the subtle change in her features. "What?" she countered, facing him.

Ren let himself lean back against a tree, his casual leather jacket a barrier against the sharp bark. "You're mad. Why? And don't lie to me and say you aren't. I can sense it."

Crossing her arms, she pushed back her shoulders. "I didn't want you reading those."

Ren frowned. "I apologize for going through your things. If I violated your privacy, that wasn't my intention." This would be so much easier if he really knew where he stood with her. But the topic of their exact relationship hadn't been brought up yet. Yesterday had been them just scratching the surface.

Ren rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged as he continued. "I just thought if you were interested so much in botany, then I wanted to know the fundamentals so I could talk with you about it."

Rey blinked, then dipped her chin and looked down at her boot shuffling away some pebbles. "Oh," was all she said, becoming deflated.

"Is there more to it than me just reading your books?"

Stopping with the reorganization of the dirt, Rey took a deep breath before lifting her head. "It's just…. Everything you do you're good at. More than good – you become an expert. I thought…"

"You wanted this to be your area of expertise," Ren finished.

She rolled her eyes and avoided his stare. "It's sounds ridiculous, I know."

"It doesn't. I can see where you're coming from. But just to clarify, you are a faster leaner than me." Rey glanced his way. "And maybe my intentions weren't completely unselfish." He swallowed. "Sometimes I look at life more like a competition."

For a few seconds, Rey just stared at him. Then smiled. "I get that way, too. So, I get it." A chuckle escaped through his nose. "And…" she added. Her smile thinned, drifting away. "There's also the problem of how you treat Finn. I don't like it."

For an extended second his eyes remained unblinking. A deep vertical line pulled between his brows, as if the statement smacked him upside the head and he hadn't quite recovered. "I treat everyone that way."

"Then I don't like how you treat everyone like they're the dirt beneath your feet."

With how light his footfalls were, he could argue that he was way more kind to the ground than to actual people.

But he didn't. "Has this always bugged you?"

"Honestly? Yeah it has. I just haven't said anything till now because I thought you'd gradually start to be more considerate. But you're only that way around me. And you know what really gets me? I know you know how to be nice and friendly."

He did. It just drove him mad to act that way. But he could tell that his behavior was a substantial breaking point for Rey. "If it means that much to you, I'll be more courteous."

She nodded. When she didn't say anything more, he became worried. His eyes gazed down the pathway they were walking on, his thoughts jumping to conclusions that made him fearful. How did he tell her that all he wanted to do with the rest of his life was be with her? Without it sounding too aggressive and needy?

To hell with pride, he told himself. If he had to get down on his hands and knees and plead for her to stay with him, he would. He was totally ready to do it yesterday.

Time had certainly changed him over its short span. It wasn't too long ago that all he desired was power and absolution. Now, he would be content if he and Rey could find some corner of the galaxy and live out the rest of their days together. Power wasn't really an option anymore, anyway.

"Ben?" His attention came back to her. Straightaway, he noticed her fidgeting fingers. Her darting eyes. "I can't help feeling like there's this… awkwardness between us. And I don't want there to be."

For a few heartbeats, he held his breath before being able to say, "I feel it, too." For him, it felt more like uncertainty. Were they to be friends? Allies? Lovers? Equals?

What?

"Did I really ruin this between us?"

"No!" He moved closer to her, his hands becoming animated as his voice filled with passion. "You didn't ruin anything. People – No, relationships go through ups and downs all the time. This will pass," he said, like he knew what he was talking about.

Rey shook her head. "How do you know?"

"Because we both want it to." The answer didn't seem to assuage her doubts. He decided to try an example instead. "And…. my parents made their dysfunctional relationship work for the most part. And this is nothing like theirs."

"What is this?" she asked, motioning between them.

He cupped her cheeks. "This is something that is very important to me. You are important to me. If there is anything that would last for an eternity, it's that. No matter what happens, I would sacrifice everything just to have you with me. Not in a tyrannical way, but as a partner. A confidant. An equal."

()()()()()

"I would do anything for you, Rey. Anything." As she looked into his imploring stare, she realized that I love you could indeed be said without actually uttering the phrase. "I love you."

But he still said it.

Going to her tiptoes, she pulled him down to her lips and kissed him. And the world fell away. Ben was slow and soft, comforting in ways words would never be. His hand rested below her ear, his thumb caressing her cheeks as their breaths mingled. She ran her fingers below his jacket and on his shirt, feeling down his spine. No space was left between them now. His tongue pressed against the seam of her lips and, at her grant of access, delved inside her mouth.

Rey pulled back before things became too passionate. They were out in the middle of a forest, after all.

"I love you, too," she said between taking gulps of air. "I never stopped."

Bens eyes glazed over in an almost narcotic stupor of yearning and delight. "Can we finish this later? Maybe tonight? In your room?"

She touched his cheek, and smiled mischievously. "I think I can arrange that."

They walked the rest of the way to Soniee's hand in hand.

The home was still the same as it had been yesterday, its mixture of durasteel and duracrete walls and roofing giving it a practical feel. It was simple. Not artsy in the slightest. Rey loved it.

"I told you not to come back here!" Soniee shouted over an unseen intercom. They halted their advance.

"Please," Rey implored at the house. "I beg you just to speak with me."

"Trying to convince me you're my daughter?"

Rey shook her head. Ben gave her hand a squeeze. "No. Your daughter is my mother. My name is Reyna. Jacen and Maridia were my parents.

The intercom was silent for a stretch of time. Rey altered her weight from one leg to the other, becoming antsy. "You her partner in all this?"

Rey looked up at Ben as he said, "I am her partner, but this isn't a scam to get your money. We already have more than we know what to do with." Rey's eyes widened. Ben gave her a faint smile. "What's mine is yours," he whispered to her. "Remember?"

Soniee's voice broke through the moment. "I'm not letting you in here."

Rey put her attention back on the house. Her frustration finally hit a breaking point. "Then I'll force my way in," she said, determined.

Ben grabbed her arm gently. "Rey. You should use caution when talking with her."

"You should listen to him," Soniee said. "I have three mechanized laser canons pointed at you right now with my finger on the trigger."

Ben and Rey froze. Searching with their eyes, neither could find any semblance of weaponry. But Ben didn't want to take any chances. "We can come back tomorrow and–"

"No," Rey cut him off and wriggled from his grasp. "I came all this way and have waited so long for this." Rey glanced at the house. "And she isn't completely serious about blowing us apart. I can sense her apprehension."

"She is apprehensive," Ren agreed, "but she's also confused and angry. Those emotions do not render well to rationality."

Frustrated, Rey threw her hands up. "What would you do if you were me? If all the answers you ever wanted was behind that door?"

He looked at her, pained. If anyone could understand her need for the truth, it was Ben. "I wouldn't back down," he admitted. "I just… don't want your only potential family member to hate you."

"Something tells me she'll like me more for standing up to her."

Rey didn't wait for Ben's response. She walked closer to the house, her stance strong and firm. "You don't want to let us in, fine. And you have the right to blow us off your property if you so wish." Rey paused. "But I have something you will want to see. You want answers as to what happened to your daughter?" Rey pulled a datapad from her satchel and held it up. "I have them right here."

Ren did a double take, his mouth falling open. Rey ignored him.

The entryway opened. Rey hurried across the dirt yard as she brought the recording up on the screen. Ren stayed back a few feet, observing the situation.

The frail woman sat in a hover chair with her usual blaster in hand. Rey disregarded the blatant threat and shoved the small datapad in Soniee's face. The woman's stare reflexively went to the stilled video. "This is your daughter, right?" Rey asked.

Soniee gaped, and then ripped the datapad from Rey's grip. "What is this? Why is she locked in a cell?" Rey tried to get the hand-held back, but Soniee was quick in her hover chair as she backed further into the house and turned down a hallway.

Ben and Rey pursued her as Rey yelled after the older woman. "You shouldn't watch that without me explaining –" Rey stopped before rounding the corner. The recording had started, and she could hear the beginnings of the interrogation.

Air growing thin, her breaths came in short bursts. She shook her head ferociously. "I can't listen to that. Not again." She ran from the house, taking in long drags of the pine-scented air. Wiping at her face with shaky hands, she paced among the trees and willed herself to start calming down.

It was a few minutes before Ben came out to join her. He stood between her and the house, patiently watching with worried eyes.

Rey's strides slowed. "I didn't know she would yank the datapad away from me," she explained defensively. "I was planning on telling her what was in it and then if she wanted to watch it, she could."

"I didn't know you had the recording."

"I don't. The datapad is Finn's. I figured one of you might have the vid. So I borrowed it before finding you guys this morning."

Ren's eyebrows popped. "You stole his datapad?"

"Borrowed," she corrected. Rey cradled her head, the realization of what she did weighing into her. "Oh, god. What if I broke that poor woman? The rest of her family is dead, and then for her to see how her daughter died–"

"Young man!" Ben turned around. Rey peered through the trees that were partially hiding her presence. Soniee was out of her house, the hover chair heading straight for him. "Is the girl still here?"

Rey stepped into the clearing, catching Soniee's attention. The woman's glistening eyes looked her up and down, her saddened features transforming into awe. Soniee slowly closed the gap between them and held out a timeworn hand. Not knowing what to do, Rey went for a handshake, but Soniee grabbed on and gently beckoned Rey to her knees. Now eye level, the woman palmed Rey's round cheeks. "You're Reyna?"

"I am."

Soniee bobbed her head up and down as a new set of tears fell down her wrinkled cheeks. "You look so much like your mother." Soniee pulled her in, wrapping frail arms around Rey's torso. Overwhelmed, it took Rey's mind a moment to catch up to what was currently happening. But once it did, Rey relaxed into the older woman, careful not to crush her.

And all she could think was finally.