Thanks for reading, my dear Padawans! Love reading the comments, they help keep me going. Fluff, sadness, and perhaps some Dark!Ben ahead...

Rey wrapped her arms up around the back of Ben's neck as they kissed slowly. Ben's hand traced up and down her back, and she leaned herself into him. Ben gently broke from the kiss, and Rey met his dark, effulgent eyes.

His gaze flickered to the ground a moment before meeting hers again. "Rey," he said. "I have to go."

Rey swallowed, her brows pinching together as she ran her fingers through his mussed hair. She studied the faint purplish color that remained under his eyes, realizing that his overall complexion appeared healthier today. Rey could sense Ben's heartbeat quickening without having to touch him.

Ben turned to look back over his shoulder, sensing something, and Rey moved her hand to his jaw, turning his face back down to hers. "Stay, just a while longer," she urged, gripping his arm.

Ben shook his head, taking her hand in his. "Your friends are on their way here. I sense a Force-sensitive among them."

"Who?" Rey asked curiously, leaning closer into him.

"Maz Kenata," he said, his gaze drifting. "I recognize her signature in the Force."

Rey reflected on Maz, how long ago it had been since she'd last seen her. She knew that Maz had gone back to Takodana after Luke had held her in custody on the Organa base during Rey's absence. Maz had refused to speak to Luke even after he'd released her upon Rey's return.

Ben leaned down and placed a soft kiss down to her lips. Rey felt a painful tug in her chest as their lips slowly parted. Ben's eyes lingered on hers as he took her hand, and he turned and led her out of the AT-AT. He stopped just outside of its entrance, the breeze lifting the dark tendrils of his hair.

"Promise me we'll see each other again soon," Rey insisted, looking imploringly up at him. She squeezed his hand as her heart beat heavily in her chest.

Ben's eyebrows quivered as he took her other hand and clasping them together between his. "Rey, I don't think I have the strength to keep myself from you...especially now," he said, his dark eyes intense. His jaw shifted as he appeared to be in deep thought, his eyes flickering around her. "It won't be safe, but...we can try to meet again somewhere—surely we can get away from the war, just for a day or so..." he trailed.

"We'll find a way," Rey said encouragingly, nodding. Her eyes grew bright at his suggestion. "We'll form Force shields like the one we're in now, the one around my ship. That way, no one can sense us...not even Snoke."

Ben's eyes narrowed and he nodded. He stepped closer to her, his eyes flickering over her face as he released her hands. "We'll meet each other somewhere, but it must be kept secret...a tryst," he said, his eyes stirring. "I can't risk anyone knowing about this, about us, or you'll be put into real danger."

Rey saw that he was thinking about the vision they'd shared of the Organa troops turning on her. "I don't care," she said, shaking her head. "Even if this turns my side against me. I can handle myself," she said, sliding her hand down his cheek. Ben's eyelashes fluttered, and he leaned into her touch. As her hand dropped back to her side, Ben's dark eyes glistened warmly.

"I know you can," he said, nodding once. The corner of his mouth tugged up into a small smile. He brushed the hair off of her forehead and gently held her chin. "We'll find each other. I promise," he said. He kissed her forehead before resting his own forehead down to hers, interlacing his gloved fingers between her own.

With his head resting against hers, Rey felt a soothing warmth flowing through the contact, flooding down her neck like a cottony liquid, spreading through her body to the the ends of her toes, the tips of her fingers. It was the same warm sensation that Ben had transferred through her the night before, when he'd pressed his hand over hers to her own chest.

The two stood like this for a few long moments, the ends of Ben's black cowl blowing against Rey's shoulders in the breeze. "What power is that?" Rey asked quietly, leaning away to look up at him.

"What do you mean?" Ben asked softly.

"What you just did, that...feeling. You did that last night, too. Is it something you've learned through the Light side or the Dark?" She asked.

Ben shook his head once, his dark eyes focused on hers. "Neither," he said, his brows raising. "It's love...the purest form of the Force."

Rey stared at him a moment, her cheeks flushing. "Love?" She repeated, blinking.

He nodded, tracing his fingers down her sides. "I hadn't known the Force could work in this way...that is, until I met you," he said, his eyes flashing. "It can't be accessed only through the Light; a Jedi isn't allowed to have romantic attachments. But love cannot be found through the Dark side, either. I guess it's in the balance between the two."

"The Grey," Rey said, her brows raising.

"Yes, the Grey," Ben said, smiling. He gazed admiringly down into her eyes. He tilted his head as he appeared to study the side of her neck. He brushed her hair off of her shoulder and hovered his gloved hand over her skin, and Rey read in his mind that he was going to heal the bruises he'd left on her neck last night. Frowning, she gripped his arm.

"No," she said. "I wanted to be reminded that you were there."

Ben lowered his brows. "Rey, we can't let them see. I don't think you realize how obvious this is," he said raising an eyebrow. He moved his hand over the skin of her neck.

"Alright," Rey acceded. She waited patiently as Ben closed his eyes and concentrated on healing the bruises on her neck. Rey studied his boyish face, the curve of his brows, the thin, faint scar that snaked from the middle of his forehead down to his jaw. The wind blew strands of his dark hair across his forehead, and in the bright light of day, Rey admired the different hues in his wavy hair, the deep umber tones illuminated in the sunlight.

As Ben opened his eyes, he stroked his hand along her cheek. A warm smile formed on Rey's face as she leaned up to kiss him, and Ben leaned down to meet her halfway. As they kissed, Rey curiously shifted through his thoughts, taking in some of his recent memories with the Empire, and she felt him reading her own. Her brows lowered as he began pushing her out of his mind. She was only able to get a flash of his memories, but they were all dark and lonesome, save for an image of a BB-8.

Rey leaned back from Ben, searching his dark hazel eyes. "You have BB-8?" She asked incredulously.

Ben's eyes grew round. "Well, yes, I prevented him from being destroyed," he said vaguely, but Rey sensed that he was attempting to hide his attachment to the little droid.

"You need to release him—he belongs to Poe," Rey urged, but she immediately regretted having said her friend's name.

Ben narrowed his eyes and leaned away from her. "The droid stays with me, I'm not giving it back to that pilot."

"Ben," Rey said gently, rubbing his arm. He took in a deep breath, and his eyes softened as he looked down at her. He opened his mouth to speak, but instead he abruptly turned his head to the side. Rey sighed as she herself sensed Maz's approach. Ben turned and met her gaze again, his expression wistful. "I must go," he said, his voice soft. He ran a gloved hand through her hair and slid it down her wrapped arm. Rey shuddered at his touch. "I can't endanger you. I need your friends on your side to keep you safe."

But Ben wavered in place, and Rey sensed his heavy reluctance to part from her. She felt his emotions so strongly, it took her a moment to realize who they belonged to. She pressed her hand up to his cheek, searching his eyes. "Kiss me," she implored. He cupped her face and wrapped an arm around her lower back, pulling her into him as he kissed her deeply. Rey shut her eyes tight as she gripped his upper arm. They kissed for a few long moments, and slowly parted as Maz's presence grew nearer.

"I love you," Ben murmured, his brows quivering as his moist eyes searched hers. His mouth still open, Ben began to trudge backwards through the sand, his expression dazed as he backed away from her.

"We'll see each other again soon," Rey said. "I believe that," she added more quietly.

Ben nodded once, a plaintive smile on his lips.

"And Ben," Rey called, stepping forward. Her brows pinched together as her mouth straightened into a line. Take care of yourself.

Ben nodded solemnly. May the Force be with you.

And also with you, she returned.

Rey watched as he turned around, trekking through the thick sand away from the AT-AT. He turned over his shoulder several times to gaze back at her, a look of longing on his face.

But Rey did not feel as somber this time he was leaving her; instead, she felt a comforting warmth, confident that they would in fact see each other again soon.

As Ben's dark silhouette shifted and blurred into a mirage on the dusty horizon, Rey took in a long, deep breath, watching until she could no longer see him. She looked down at the sand beneath her feet, shifting her posture as she became more aware of the growing soreness between her legs. Sensing Maz's proximity, Rey turned and reentered the AT-AT, realizing she needed to hide the bloodied pile of blankets.

As she stuffed the blankets into a low drawer, she rose and stared across at the messy bed where she and Ben had made love, where she'd slept in his warm embrace all night, safe and secure. Rey already missed the feeling of his strong arms around her, his deep, even breathing on the back of her shoulder. If only I'd been able to sleep as soundly here my entire life, she mused. She reflected on Ben's words when he'd read her mind on Starkiller Base: At night...desperate to sleep...you'd imagine an ocean. I see it...I see the island...

Rey.

Rey jolted as she sensed Ben's presence in her head. She'd nearly forgotten their reforged mental connection. Ben! She returned, a smile spreading across her face.

Remove the Force field from your X-wing so Maz can sense you and your friends can find you, he said.

She scampered out through the entrance of the AT-AT, but as soon as her feet made contact with the unstable sand outside she staggered to a walk. She winced and pressed a hand to her lower belly. She walked more carefully through the thick sand to the X-wing.

You're in pain, she heard Ben say. I sense it.

I'm fine, she returned. Just a little strain.

As she stopped before her ship, she held her hands out to remove the Force field, but paused.

Wait...how can we hear and feel each other if I'm in the Force field, and you're outside of it? She questioned.

Ben took a few moments to respond. I'm not sure...maybe our bond has been made stronger. Perhaps…

From last night? Rey postulated. She felt herself blush as she remembered Ben on top of her, the feeling of his manhood stretching her insides, the overwhelming physical peak that had sent powerful ripples through them both…

Perhaps, Ben said succinctly.

Her cheeks hot, Rey bit back a smile and closed her eyes. She concentrated as she began breaking down the Force field centered on the X-wing. She felt the thinning of the Force in the air around her as the field dissolved away.

When she had finished, Rey turned and made her way back into the AT-AT. She stood in the entrance, wondering what to do now that she was alone again. She looked back over to the bed, her heart swelling.

She made her way over to the alcove and stretched herself out atop the tousled, makeshift bed, still feeling the residual warmth of love that Ben had flooded through her at the contact of their heads. As she settled onto her stomach on the blankets, Rey smiled to herself as she found that Ben's musky scent remained.

….

It wasn't long before Rey began to hear the low hum of spacecraft approaching. She rolled off of the bed and onto her feet. As she stood in the bed's alcove, she realized that she couldn't be truthful to her friends about why she'd come to Jakku. Rey hurriedly crafted together an explanation in her mind amid the increasing sounds of the ships. She had to make sure they believed her, or she'd be risking her and Ben's already precarious relationship.

Rey made her way out of the AT-AT as she heard the sounds of several crafts landing nearby outside. As she stepped out of the entrance, she saw two X-wings and a large silver shuttle settling down into the blowing sand.

As soon as one of the X-wings had landed, its cockpit popped open, revealing Poe Dameron. Poe's eyes grew wide as he saw Rey standing out front of the AT-AT, and he leapt down from his ship.

"Rey!" He called. He nearly tripped in the thick sand as he barreled towards her. Rey tried to maintain a straight face, to put on an air of sorrow. Poe ran up and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a hug. He released her and held her at arm's length, studying her face. "Rey, are you okay?"

Rey bit her lip, wanting to piece together her words carefully. "I'm fine," she said flatly, shifting her gaze.

"Did they hurt you? How did you get away? Did you run into...you know…" he trailed, raising an eyebrow. He dropped his hands from her arms.

Rey met Poe's questioning eyes, hesitant to answer. "They didn't hurt me…" She trailed. "Look, Poe...I'm sorry what I did, it was very wrong—"

"Rey, don't worry about it, it's not a big deal," Poe said, shaking her shoulder. "I'm just glad you're alright."

Rey saw Finn and Maz exiting the transport shuttle over Poe's shoulder and Jess Testor climbing down from the other X-wing. Poe turned around to follow her gaze.

"She's alright," Poe called to the others, and Finn nodded, smiling.

She watched as Finn ran up to Jess and asked her the same questions Poe had asked herself. Rey smiled as Finn pulled Jess into a relieved hug, rubbing her shoulder. Finn smiled brightly at Jess before jogging over to Poe's side.

Finn raised his eyebrows in concern as his eyes flitted over Rey's face nervously. He opened his mouth to speak, but he hesitated as his eyes rose, trailing the immense structure in front of him. He lowered his bright eyes back to hers. "You used to live here? This is the AT-AT you told me about?" He asked, huffing. He was clearly taken aback by the large structure.

Rey nodded. "Yes...This is where I grew up," she said, gesturing towards the structure.

"Must have been lonely," Poe said, looking at Rey sympathetically.

"It was," Rey said quietly, her gaze shifting away.

"Rey, what happened?" Finn asked, refocusing his attention on her.

"Give her some room, would you two?" Maz insisted as she shoved between Finn and Poe, and the men each took a step back. Maz looked up at Rey and smiled. "How are you, my dear?" She asked, holding out her small hand.

Rey grasped her hand and smiled down at Maz. But her smile faded as Maz retracted her hand to zoom her glasses in on Rey's face. Rey's brows furrowed as Maz's eyes narrowed slightly. Rey flushed and looked back up at Finn and Poe, hoping that someone would make conversation, but she glanced back down at Maz as the small woman made her way around Rey and into the AT-AT.

Rey followed her inside, wondering what Maz was up to. Jess, Finn, and Poe followed them inside. She felt nervous having them inside her former home, where Ben had been less than an hour before.

"Wow, I've never been inside one of these before," Finn said excitedly. "I always used to sign up to work the AT-ATs with the First Order, but they never chose me."

"Probably because you're a better fighter on the ground," Poe said.

"Are you trying to say something about my piloting skills?" Finn asked, turning back towards Poe.

As the men bantered, Rey watched Maz move around the AT-AT, seeming to look in every corner. Maz then stopped before the tally-marked wall.

"Maz, what is it?" Rey asked innocently.

After a few moments, Maz turned around, rubbing her chin. "I thought I sensed…" she trailed, her voice quiet.

Rey's eyes widened, and she tried to keep her face straight as her heart pounded in her chest.

Maz glanced up at Rey again, but then her gaze shifted away. "Nevermind," she said, waving Rey off. She turned back around to face the tally-marked wall and sighed. "You were stuck here for a very long time," she remarked, looking back at Rey. "Why did you come back?"

Everyone turned to look at Rey expectantly. Letting out a breath, she took a few steps towards the wall, looking at it for a moment before speaking.

"I wanted to be alone," she said. "And I knew there was no better place to be alone than here."

"So, what happened back on the Empire base?" Poe asked.

Rey hesitated.

"You ran into Kylo Ren," Finn presumed.

Rey turned and nodded at Finn. "Yes," she said concisely. Everyone remained quiet, clearly waiting for her to elaborate. She looked at Poe. "You were right," she said. "He's a Sith. He's different now, purely evil. He can't be turned back to the Light."

"I knew it," Poe muttered, digging the toe of his boot into the dusty metal ground. "I knew Leia had too much faith in him."

"Are you sure he can't?" Jess asked abruptly, stepping forward.

Rey raised an eyebrow as she looked across at Jess.

"I mean, he helped me escape from the base...he isn't a very good Sith if he's releasing his own prisoners," she said with a small laugh.

Rey's breath quickened and her heart beat heavily in her chest as she stared at Jess. You let Jess Testor escape? Rey questioned.

"You're sure it was Kylo Ren that helped you?" Rey asked, hoping Jess was mistaken. "It wasn't just some general or stormtrooper?"

Yes, I helped her, Rey heard Ben respond. You're with her now?

"I'm sure," Jess said, nodding. "I recognized his mother in him. He has his mom's dark hair and eyes. Actually, his eyes changed from yellow to brown...That was really weird."

Had I caused that change? Rey wondered.

"Yellow?" Maz repeated. She sounded surprised. "The Dark side of the Force is strong with him, then…" she trailed.

"Ren interrogated me on his ship before we got to the base, but apparently I didn't have any useful information for him...well, actually, he pulled memories of Leia from my head. And memories of you," Jess said, raising her eyebrows at Rey.

"Did he?" Maz asked, looking between Jess and Rey.

Rey swallowed and felt her throat tighten as she worried her story would be unravelled in front of her. "That's not the Kylo Ren I met," she said, trying to sound confident. "He tried to fight me, he threatened to kill me." She was growing desperate. "He just wanted to bring me to the Dark side, all along."

Poe's face contorted. "If that kriffing piece of waste ever comes for you again, Rey, I'll blast him to pieces," he said, his nostrils flaring.

"Doesn't sound like he's changed much from when we fought him in the woods on Starkiller, Rey," Finn said, lowering his brows. He looked at Rey sympathetically.

Rey was glad the two men believed her. "I never want to see him again," she said, lowering her voice." But when she looked at Jess and down at Maz, she thought she read skepticism on their faces.

"I'm sorry he tried to seduce you to the Dark side, Rey," Finn said softly, stepping towards her.

Rey nodded, trying to look somber. "Yes. But now it's all behind me. Now I know it was all a trick."

Poe looked angry as Finn nodded, lowering his gaze to the ground. He then raised his eyes back up to hers and moved towards her, pulling her into a hug. Rey let out a sigh as she rested her head atop his shoulder, relieved. He patted her back, and Rey was comforted by his sincere concern.

Finn was the only one to whom Rey had admitted her love for Ben, and she was upset that she had to lie to him now in order to protect her love. She knew he actually believed that she'd been let down, that Ben had only been trying to bring her to the Dark side. But she also knew that he would probably understand if she ever told him the truth.

As Finn stepped back from her, Maz gestured her hand towards the structure's entrance. "Let us go now, I need to get back to running my bar. It's all finished, you know," she said.

The group followed Maz back out into the sand, and Rey hesitated inside the entrance of the AT-AT, giving the place a nostalgic once-over before following them outside.

"Where's the rest of the squadrons?" Rey asked.

"We sent them on ahead to the Organa base. I didn't want to overwhelm you, sending a giant group of X-wings out here to get you," Poe chuckled. As his laugh faded, he bit his lip as he looked at her, and he stepped towards her. "I'm sorry what happened, Rey," he said. "I really am. But I'm also glad you can see that Ren is our enemy."

Rey swallowed and forced a small smile. "Yeah," she said, unsure of what else to say.

Poe stared at her a moment longer before turning and heading to his X-wing. "See you back on Trora, Flygirl," he said over his shoulder, winking at her.

Rey smiled as she made her way over to the shuttle, glad that Ben wasn't here to hear Poe's nickname for her. She walked delicately as she made her way through the sand, afraid to strain herself. She approached Maz, Jess, and Finn, who were standing at the base of loading ramp talking.

"Well, I'm not talking to him. I'll drop you three off on Trora, say hello to Chewie, and then I'm going home," Maz was saying.

"Talk to who?" Rey asked, and Maz sighed.

"Luke," she said, glancing up at Rey.

"Listen, Maz, if you just give him a chance to explain—"

"No, you listen to me, Stormtrooper," Maz interjected, waggling her finger up at Finn. "I've had enough of this Skywalker drama. I've been alive for over a thousand years and I've never seen such an overdramatic family," she huffed. She looked between Finn and Jess expectantly, who remained quiet. "Alright, let's get going," she said, stepping over to Rey's side.

"See you soon, Jess," Finn said, smiling. He stepped up onto the ramp, but Jess grabbed his jacket and force him down to her, pressing a kiss to his lips.

As she broke from the kiss, Finn looked dazed. "Thank you for coming to rescue me. Even though I got out myself," she giggled, and she made her way over to her X-wing.

Rey pressed her hands to her mouth, smiling excitedly as she saw Finn frozen in place, his eyes glued on Jess as she climbed up into her ship.

"Well? Are you going to get on board, or are you just going to stand there, Stormtrooper?" Maz asked, raising an eyebrow.

Finn shook his head. "Yes, ma'am," he said, and he jogged up the ramp into the ship obediently.

Rey stepped onto the bottom of the ramp, but Maz took Rey's hand, stopping her. Rey turned and looked down at Maz, who beckoned her lower. Rey bent her knees, bringing herself to Maz's eye level.

"Rey, dear child, you may be able to fool your inexperienced friends, but you cannot fool me," she said, a knowing look in her eyes.

"What are you talking about?" Rey asked, her face flushing.

Maz ignored her question. "You'd better keep it secret. If you're found out, you may lose the respect of the Organa council," she said. She raised an eyebrow. "You're playing a very dangerous game."

Rey furrowed her brows, opening her mouth to protest, but she knew that Maz hadn't believed her lies for a second. She gathered her thoughts. "How did you know?" She finally asked.

"My dear, you're glowing."

….

Ben hadn't travelled far from Jakku after he'd gotten into the small grey Empire shuttle. There was something he'd been itching to do after he'd left Rey, something that was digging under his skin. But he knew he had to stay off of Jakku while Maz was there, or she'd sense him. He couldn't risk letting Maz know that he had been there; she had countless connections around the galaxy, and if she'd wanted to spread word of him and Rey, she could do it easily and on a large scale.

Now, as Ben slumped lazily in a chair before the ship's controls, he felt thoroughly lonely. He already missed Rey sorely.

Rey…

Ben closed his eyes for a moment and took in a deep breath as he thought of her. He recounted the crimson flush of her cheeks as he'd felt her between her legs, as he'd thrusted himself inside of her. He reflected on his intrigue as he'd slid Rey's panties from her legs, seeing the slit between her legs for the first time. To him, it had looked like a flower.

He'd of course seen naked women before, the whores that were found in many cities and centers of debauchery, the women who offered him sex for money. Oftentimes generals had eagerly accepted these offers, and sometimes they even raped lone women when they were invading smaller towns. Ben had been disgusted by this behavior, never feeling the drive to rape a woman or to pay one for sex.

While he admired the female form, he'd never felt much compelled to give in such primal desires. That is, until he'd met Rey on Takodana.

Last night, Ben had wanted to explore more between her legs, to kiss her sex, but he hadn't been sure how she would have reacted. Maybe next time, he mused. If there is a next time.

Rising from the pilot's chair, Ben stood and leaned over the control board, setting in the logging controls to head back to Jakku. He figured Rey and the others would have left the planet by now. He was hankering to return to Jakku, to administer justice and avenge Rey.

….

By the time Ben got to landing his shuttle down on Jakku, the sun had almost fully set, a mere yellow line on the horizon. He hastily grabbed his helmet and pulled on his gloves as he moved towards the small loading door, dropping it quickly with the Force.

Ben already felt the Dark side rising within him as he stomped through the shifting sand in the dim light. He yanked on his hood after pulling on his helmet and clicking it into place.

As he stalked through the virtually empty Niima Outpost, Ben kept his eyes trained dead ahead on his destination. His fists curled and his arms raised at his sides. Enmity and disgust boiled in his veins as he was filled with voracious bloodlust.

Seeing that the front of the trading shack was closed with a metal panel, Ben moved around to a door on the side of the stand. He aggressively pushed through the thick door with the Force, easily knocking it off of its hinges. As it fell flat onto the dusty floor of the shack, Ben saw the round blobbish figure he had so eagerly anticipated seeing in the flesh. The creature was even more repulsive than how he'd appeared in Rey's mind.

Unkar Plutt staggered backwards, but his face was stern. "What—what do you want? I'm closed!" He grumbled.

Ben shook his head once. "I'm not here to trade," he said flatly, remaining in the doorway.

Plutt's hands slowly rose before his face as he looked Ben's stature up and down. Ben sneered behind his mask, the man's fear palpable. Plutt hesitated to speak again. "Who are you?"

With a swift movement, Ben pulled his lightsaber from his belt, flicking his wrist as he ignited it at his side. He didn't bother to suppress his chuckle as Plutt shriveled back from his crackling red weapon.

"I'm Death."