Admiral Thrawn sat alone in his private office, his boots kicked up onto his desk as classical Gatalentan music trilled from a speaker. He'd been having a pleasant morning. A very pleasant morning. That is, until he was interrupted.

He'd gotten up early to oversee the training of an upcoming class of stormtroopers, all of whom had excelled under his exacting training regimen. He prided himself on the fact that his trooper training program was even stricter than General Hux's had been.

Thrawn had respected Hux, that was undoubtedly true. He recognized that Hux had been a stalwart, passionate man, one who had earned a great deal of power over much of the First Order since its birth.

Thrawn himself had taken the occasional job assisting with Hux's former trooper training programs to try and wedge his way into a more important position within the First Order, but as long as Hux had remained, Thrawn's ascension to power had been a slow, steep slope. So once the general had been killed off by none other than his own compeer, Kylo Ren, Thrawn had been more than eager to extend an application to fill the position. From there, his promotion to Grand Admiral had come rather quickly.

While Thrawn had respected Hux, he disliked Kylo Ren, distrusted him even. Ren was a lot younger than himself, younger even than Hux had been, and Thrawn felt that Snoke assigned Ren more power and freedoms than he deserved. He still couldn't get over the fact that Ren was allowed to command stormtrooper factions at whim, let alone govern his own clan of warrior knights.

Even so, he did have to give Ren credit for his murder of Hux, which had resulted in Thrawn's current position of power within the Empire. Hux's murder had not been properly addressed and documented, and it was more than clear that Snoke had made sure that its details were obscured to the other leading officers and generals. Thrawn recognized that Snoke was always covering up Ren's misconducts and mistakes, including the man's extended leave from the Order following the destruction of Starkiller. Even though Thrawn had not worked for the faction during that time, he was bitter that Ren had gone rogue and gotten away with it. He knew that Snoke admired Ren as one would an attack animal, due to the man's supposed strength in the Force, but Thrawn would never have had the patience for such disloyalty, Force-sensitive or not.

Ren's questionable loyalty and brash behavior always kept him on his toes, and he was growing tired of having to keep watch over him. So once Ren had returned from his meeting on Coruscant, he'd decided to double Ren's training regimen with the intention to keep him busy and—expectantly—too drained to do anything foolish before the battle on Storia. He wanted Ren ready and obedient when they took the Organa base at the end of the week.

Inspired by the music trilling from his player, Thrawn was about to crack open a book on the rich history of Gatalentan tea when his office door abruptly swung open. Chagrined, he straightened in his large armchair to stare down the sandy-haired man in black standing before his desk. Thrawn immediately recognized this man as one of Ren's enigmatic knights, but he didn't remember his name. Not that he cared to.

"Grand Admiral, Sir, I'm sorry to barge in on you like this," the knight began, bowing his head and clasping his hands behind his back, "but there is a matter of great importance that needs to be addressed."

Sighing, Thrawn lazily slid his boots from his desk, not bothering to turn off his music player. "Well?"

The knight hesitated. "It's concerning Kylo Ren—Master Ren. It needs to be brought to the attention of the Supreme Leader."

Now Thrawn was interested. He leaned forward over his desk and the knight took a step backwards. Coward, Thrawn thought smugly. "Supreme Leader Snoke is on Mustafar. He's nearly done crafting his project with the Kyber crystals, so I doubt he'll want to hear your drivelling about Ren. But if you truly believe it's worth his attention, you'll need to explain it all to me first."

And the knight did.

….

"I'm surprised you still wanted to train today," Luke said, setting a wooden box next to them in the grass. "I thought you'd be too tired from travel."

Rey shook her head. "No, I feel fine. Great, actually," she said, though she did feel tired; she'd only gotten back to Trora the night before, and she hadn't exactly gotten much sleep on Coruscant. "I would never want to miss a lesson."

"Typical sunshine Rey, always up for a duel in the Force," Luke said, smiling. "But I thought we'd actually do something a little different today." He gestured towards Rey's lightsaber hilt in her hand. "You won't be needing that."

Rey hooked the saber back at the belt of her capris. "Will we be doing any dueling tomorrow, then? I was hoping to get in some practice before the battle on Storia," she said.

Luke shook his head. "You're really going to Storia? First Coruscant, now this?" He scratched the stubble on his chin thoughtfully. "Mm, we can duel some tomorrow. But today we're trying something new." He stooped down to open the lid of the box, and Rey leapt back as a small, tan, winged creature suddenly flew out of it.

"What is that?" She asked, shading her eyes against the sunlight as the animal flapped up into the sky.

"That is a mynock," Luke said, watching it intently. "They're pretty pesky things." Rey watched as Luke extended his arm, aiming his palm up towards it. He closed his eyes for a few moments, concentrating.

Rey looked back up to see the mynock circling and flying back towards them. Her mouth opened in surprise as it glided between them and landed gently back down into the box. "What? How'd you do that?" She questioned.

Luke placed the lid back into place and slid the box towards her. "Today you're going to learn about an ancient Jedi practice: animal friendship," he said, smiling at her with the excitement of a little kid.

"Animal...friendship?" Rey scoffed. "I'm sorry, but that's the most bizarre thing I have ever heard." She could barely hold back her laugh. "Are you serious?"

"Yes," Luke said, smiling wider. "Quite. Animal friendship is a Light side ability discovered by the very first Jedi. It's a strange practice, I'll admit. I learned about it reading in the journals of the ancient Jedi back at the temple on Ach-To. That is, before you came to convince me to come back to everyone," he said, winking. "But you should know, believe it or not...this practice has the potential to be very useful. I've read many stories telling of how Jedi would call upon all sorts of nasty creatures to attack members of the Sith."

Rey's smile faded and she nodded, remembering the nexus she'd encountered with Ben on Drecenia. She wished she would have known of animal friendship then, so she could have tried it out on them.

"How about you give it a go?" Luke prompted. He instructed her to lift the lid of the box with the Force, and the mynock screeched as it again flapped its way back up into the sky. He guided her through focusing on the creature's mind, teaching her to connect with it through the Force to control its will. But the mynock grew too far away, and Luke had to coax it back several times himself before Rey was able to successfully latch onto its mind and drive it back to the box.

"I did it!" She exclaimed as the mynock finally landed in the small wooden crate, and she dropped down to her knees to place the lid manually. Though she'd initially taken the exercise as a joke, she admitted to herself that it had turned out to be challenging and surprisingly gratifying.

"You did really well. You know, Ben was good at connecting with animals when he was younger," Luke said. "You should ask him about it."

This time Rey couldn't stifle her laugh. "Ben was good at animal friendship? Now that's funny."

Luke smiled as she laughed, but his face grew more serious. "How was he when you saw him, by the way? Ben. Leia told me as soon as you'd left that you were going to Coruscant to meet with him. I would have advised against that trip, but hell, I'm sure that's why you told her about it and not me," he laughed.

"I promise next time I'm leaving the planet I'll tell you both," Rey said. "And Ben, he—he's alright. He's still stubborn about staying with the Empire," she added awkwardly, the argument and concupiscent sex in the transport shuttle coming to mind.

"I see," Luke nodded, rubbing his chin. "That's unfortunate. But I'm sure he has his reasons."

Rey hoped that Luke wasn't going to ask about the details of their trip; she didn't want to have to lie to him on the spot, so she was relieved when he remained quiet for a few moments. Then something popped into her mind. "Luke? There's something Ben showed me—a memory from the past. He wanted me to show it you," she said.

Luke's eyes narrowed slightly and he stepped towards her. "A memory, huh? What's it about?"

"It's actually from the day that...well, the day that he was taken from your Jedi academy. The day that the Padawans…" she trailed, watching him as he nodded somberly. "If you don't want to see it, I can just explain it to you—"

"No, here, show me. I want to see it through his mind," Luke said, moving in front of her.

Rey lifted her hand to his forehead, closing her eyes and concentrating on the memory as Ben had to convey it to her. She replayed the memory as clearly as she could to Luke, and as she did so, this time she did not feel Ben's emotions running through her as they had before, but instead it was now Luke's and her own. She sensed Luke's grief and felt him wince beneath her hand as the images of the stormtroopers and Padawans formed in their minds. Rey skipped some of these parts as best as she could, focusing instead on conveying the feelings Ben had had when he'd shown her the memory, especially the horror he'd felt when he'd killed the Padawan boy.

As the memory finished with Ben being dragged away through the sand, Luke staggered away from Rey's hand and the connection was immediately lost. Luke bent over and rested his hands on his knees, and Rey approached him slowly.

"Are you okay?" Rey asked, and Luke slowly straightened and nodded. "I'm sorry you had to relive that, I know it was hard enough to live through once. I'm very sorry."

Luke's eyes were moist, but no tears escaped down his face. "I'm okay, thank you. I still feel the pain, but that was a long time ago, so I've healed a lot since then. I know why Ben wanted to show that to me, and I'm glad I saw and felt it for myself. I've come to realize over the years that he didn't kill that Padawan on his own; I think that at the time, I just felt so betrayed, it blinded me." He paused for a moment. "So you don't remember any of that for yourself, huh?"

Rey shook her head. "No."

"Not even when I gave you to your parents?"

Rey's mouth shifted as she thought. "No, but I remember them dropping me off on Jakku, handing me over to Unkar Plutt. I guess that's where my memory began."

"Plutt, that nasty junk dealer you told me about? The one who enslaved you?" He asked.

"He didn't enslave me—not really. I learned a lot from him, and he paid me," she said.

"In food rations," Luke chuckled.

"Right." Rey still felt revulsion towards Unkar, but now that he was dead, she reflected more on the skills she'd gotten from him. Without his guidance she wouldn't have lasted a day on Jakku. "He's dead, now," she added.

Luke frowned. "He is?"

Rey paused, wondering how Luke would take her response. "Ben killed him."

"Ben?" Luke scoffed. "Sounds like something 'Kylo Ren' would do," he said, forming air quotes with his fingers. "Something a Dark sider would do." Luke paced a few steps, looking down at the grass before turning and looking back towards her. "You like him a lot, still?" He asked, his tone casual.

Rey was suddenly all too conscious of the tiny diamond tucked carefully under the hem of her tunic. "Yes. I mean…" she shrugged. "We get along well."

Luke considered this, shifting his weight. "I see. So would it be fair to say you two are...mm, how do I put this...serious about one another?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

Rey thought for a moment, deciding what to tell him, what to reveal. All she ended up saying was "yes."

Luke paced again, clasping his hands behind his back. Rey noticed a slight anxiousness about him. "Now, maybe this is something I should leave to Leia to discuss with you, Rey, but since we're on the topic—I don't mean to pry, you're both adults and this is you two's personal business—I'm not sure how far along you and Ben are, but I just want to make sure that you two are being...you know, safe."

"'Safe?'" Rey repeated. She wasn't exactly sure what he meant by the word. "I mean, we're keeping our relationship under wraps as best we can," she said. "The only ones who really know about it are you and Leia."

Luke hesitated to answer, and was visibly uncomfortable. "No, I know that...I'm talking about taking...precautions...to prevent a pregnancy," he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Oh, oh," Rey said, throwing her hands before her. She shook her head quickly and released a strained laugh. "No we're, uh—Ben and I—we aren't that far along, yet, no," she fibbed, matching his body language.

"Oh, okay, okay," Luke said, releasing a relieved breath. "Phew. Because, y'know, a kid is the last thing we'd want to be dealing with in the middle of this war," he chuckled, "especially a Force-sensitive one."

Rey forced a smile in return, her face growing hot. "Right, oh, of course. No, that—that's definitely not going to happen," she said, but inside she was panicking. Sweat began beading at her hairline. Stars, she thought. What if I do end up pregnant?

She'd been so pleasantly lost in intimacy with Ben on Coruscant—and Jakku—that she hadn't even considered the possibility. How could I have been so naive? She chided herself. She wracked her mind, thinking of her body's cycle, estimating when she should expect to bleed next. She knew that would provide an answer to her fears.

"Alright, well, that's good," Luke said, his posturing relaxing. "I'm sorry I had to bring it up, but I'm glad that's covered...Now, I know you think it's boring, but let's work on some Force balancing."

….

After training Rey spent the following hours gardening and thinking hard. Ben had reached out to her, and they'd been communicating for a while about her training that morning and the increase in Ben's training regimen. Though there had been breaks in their mental conversation, Rey couldn't bring herself to broach the topic consuming her mind.

I still don't know why Luke taught you about animal friendship, Ben said. It's useless.

Luke said the original Jedi used it. And he said you were really good at it, too, Rey answered, managing a smile as she patted the dirt around some plant stalks.

Yeah, so. Maybe I was, once.

With what kinds of animals?

Nothing too exciting, unfortunately. I usually only had access to loth-cats.

I don't know what those are.

I had one as a pet when I was younger. Hux had one too, the same color as his hair. He called it Millicent. Nasty thing, he said. I'll have to show you one sometime.

There was a pause, and Rey looked up towards the sky, taking in a deep breath, willing the courage to shift the conversation.

Ben, can we...talk about something?

Anything, Rey, he answered without hesitation.

She swiped the dirt off of her pants and shifted her weight on her knees, procrastinating. I...there's something I hadn't thought much about before—I'm actually shocked I didn't really consider it. I guess I was just too wrapped up in everything, with you…

Rey, what is it?

Well...we've only been together a few times, intimately I mean, but I'm worried about...potentially…getting pregnant. There was a pause in their connection, and Rey felt as if her heart had risen up to her throat.

Oh—that wouldn't happen—shouldn't happen. How could I not have told you? There's a chip that was implanted into my right arm years ago—all of the top officers and generals have them, it prevents that. Sex is generally forbidden among top officials, myself included, but that doesn't mean precautions aren't still taken. I should have thought to tell you all this so you wouldn't have worried—I'm sorry, Rey, I guess I've just never had to worry about it before, so I didn't think of it. That was senseless of me.

Rey felt as if an enormous weight had been lifted from her shoulders, and she let out a long breath. Don't worry about it, Ben. I was naive not to think about it either, she said. I'm just glad for that chip. Otherwise…

I can't even imagine, Ben responded, then paused. It's hard enough as it is trying to keep this a secret.

Rey shook her head at the plants before her. I can't imagine either. She thought for a moment, reflecting on the rainy vision they shared. I wonder if something like that—if the reveal of our relationship could be the thing to turn my side against me.

I don't know...Ben said. With Luke, and my mother, and your friends all supporting you...I don't see a reason why they would ever turn against you. I can't see them ever doing that. Rey knew he was thinking about the same vision. The Force can be pretty shifty with visions. They aren't always as they seem.

Let's hope, Rey said. She rose and headed back into her small house to fix lunch. As she chopped up some vegetables she'd grown herself, her mind wandered. She thought of Ben's dark eyes, shadowed in the dimness of the hotel room, his long, muscular body lined in glowing red light. She closed her eyes, her hand pausing from chopping as she thought of his face between her legs, how he'd kissed her there, how he'd driven her so hard over the edge...

Rey took in a quick breath, composing herself and resuming her chopping. What are we going to do when we run into each other on Storia? She asked.

You're not seriously going, are you? He asked.

Rey decided to ignore his question, so remarkably similar to Luke's. We'll just have to pretend we hate each other.

Rey...

But we'll have to be convincing. Maybe you should burn me with your lightsaber.

I would never do that! Ben responded quickly. If anyone's getting injured between us, it's going to be me.

But I've already marked you—several times, now, Rey said, thinking of his faint facial and arm scars. Shouldn't it be my turn?

No. There will be no 'turns.' And I don't mind the scars. Besides, I doubt we'll even see each other there—it will be hectic. I have knights and a stormtrooper squadron to command, so I'll be too busy to fight a mere Jedi.

But I suspect everyone will be expecting us to fight, she said. It would only be logical to play the part.

I don't want to fight...unless we can resolve it the way we did last time.

Rey smiled, thinking again of their encounter in the shuttle earlier the day before. I would hardly call that 'resolving' anything, you dolt. All it did was make it harder to part from you.

But I'm always with you, Rey, Ben soothed. Always. There isn't a moment that goes by that I'm not thinking of you.

Rey smiled to herself as she sat at her small table and began to eat. And what exactly are you thinking now? She probed, slowly tracing her fork over the bowl of vegetables.

I'm thinking of what I'd do to you if we were together right now.

Rey bit her lip, her heart thudding in her ears. Go on.

I'm thinking of how I'd love to be buried between your legs, tasting your sweet—

"Hey, Rey!"

Rey almost toppled off of her chair as Poe came waltzing into her kitchen. Though she hadn't been able to hear the rest of what Ben had said through her panic, her body was already rippling with heat and energy. She cleared her throat and brushed her hair self-consciously from her face.

"Stars, I didn't mean to scare you, Flygirl!" Poe exclaimed, chuckling. Finn came walking in behind him, smiling broadly.

Rey forced a smile. "Hey, guys, what's up?" She managed, though her voice sounded rather dispirited.

Ben, I can't talk right now, she thought.

Stars, Rey, I didn't mean—sorry if that was too honest.

"So I heard you're joining us on Storia at the end of the week?" Finn asked, excitement shining in his eyes.

Ben it wasn't that—believe me —my friends just came to see me.

"I am," Rey said, rising from her seat and smiling wider. "Are you guys all prepared?"

Which friends? The pilot?

Poe slipped his hands into his pant pockets, rocking on his feet as his back straightened. "Yeah, we've been touring around the solar system to get back in the swing of things. We're ready, alright. Those Empire bucketheads won't know what hit 'em."

Ben.

Love you, Scavenger.

"Yeah, I don't know, we'll see," Finn said, sounding less confident. He rubbed his neck. "We aren't really sure what we're up against this time."

And I love you.

"Are you going to be bringing your lightstick?" Poe asked, nodding towards the saber hilt on her hip.

"It's a lightsaber," Finn corrected, chuckling. "'Lightstick.' Psssh. Even I know that."

"Well, I am a Jedi," Rey said, tilting her head and shrugging her shoulders. "Really, that's like asking if you two are going to bring x-wing fighters."

Poe chuckled and smiled at her warmly. "Yeah, I guess you're kind of right. What a silly question."

Rey turned to Finn. "How are things with you and Jess?" She asked.

Finn blushed slightly, and Poe elbowed him playfully in the side. "It's going good," he said, biting back a smile.

"Aw, c'mon, just say it. You love her," Poe said, chuckling and elbowing him again.

"Do you?" Rey asked excitedly. Finn blushed a deeper red and hesitated to answer, and Rey and Poe laughed in unison. "Finn!" She exclaimed, and she leapt forward to hug him. "I'm so happy for you!"

"Thanks, Rey," he said, not a small bit embarrassed. His eyes suddenly widened. "Oh, kriff, I was supposed to meet her at her place for lunch—I totally forgot! Bye, guys!" He exclaimed, turning and running out of the house.

"See you later, Finn," Rey called after him. She turned to see that Poe remained standing before her, his eyes focused intently on her. "I'm so happy for them," Rey said, not knowing how to fill the sudden silence.

"Me too," Poe said, smiling. Then, after a minute, "I'm sorry, we've kept you from eating," he said, nodding towards her bowl of vegetables.

"Oh, it's fine," Rey said, waving it off and trying to appear casual. But she felt stiff, uncomfortable under Poe's heavy contact.

"No, no, sit, finish," he said, pulling out a chair at the small table for himself. "There's something else I wanted to say to you."

Rey sat in her chair, looking at him cautiously. "Okay," she said, forcing a quick smile. She took a bite of her food to fill the quietness.

"We all know you're a great pilot," he began, placing his hands before him on the table. "And so I wanted to see if you'd want to fly one of the x-wings when we're on Storia. That way, you wouldn't be stuck fighting on the ground, it would be easier for you. You wouldn't even have to use the Force."

Rey paused her chewing for a moment to think, then swallowed her food. "That sounds exciting...but really, I think I'd be more useful on the ground, fighting alongside Luke and the others."

"You'd be a lot safer up in the air, Rey," Poe said, raising an eyebrow. "And you wouldn't have to worry about running into Kylo Ren."

So that's what this is about, Rey realized. She sat quietly for a moment as she regarded him. "I'm not worried," she said nonchalantly. "If I cross paths with him, so be it." She shrugged.

Poe didn't seem satisfied with this. "Rey, you belong up in the air, with us, with me, where he can't get to you. You'll have the ability to just fly away if you want to."

"But I don't want to 'just fly away," she said, frowning and resting her hands on the table. Her fingers pressed against the wood as frustration built in her. "I'll stay and fight with the rest of the Organa Order. Besides, I'm just as able to fight as anyone."

"I'm not saying you aren't," Poe said, leaning slightly forward. "What I'm saying is...what I've been meaning to say is that I really care about you, Rey. I hope you know that. I've always had strong feelings for you. I just don't want you out there on the battlefield." He slid his hand gently onto hers.

Rey's breath caught in her throat as she stared down at their hands. Stunned, she felt unable to slide her hand from under his, or to even meet his gaze.

"I understand if you don't want to get involved now, with the war and everything," Poe said, gently squeezing her hand. "But I hope that in time...we can be something more to each other."

Poe slid his hand from hers and stood up, and Rey looked up at him. "Poe…" she began, but at the moment she didn't have the heart to shut him down.

"You don't have to say anything," he said, giving her a small smile. "I'll go now, but I'll leave you with this." He leaned forward and kissed her forehead, then turned and left without glancing behind.

Rey felt her pulse thudding in her throat as she processed what had just happened. She knew Poe had feelings for her, she'd always known, and she'd even expected him to admit it to her at some point or other. But not like this. Not so openly, so abruptly. What surprised her most is that he'd even assumed that she had feelings for him. She wiped at her forehead, as if undoing the kiss that had been placed there. She didn't even want to begin postulating how Ben would react to this scenario.

She stared down at the bowl below her, her appetite now gone. She felt exhausted by the stresses she'd gone through today. She had the desire to talk to a woman like herself, and she knew exactly who to go to to ease her mind.

….

Leia smiled warmly as she led Rey into her living area in her suite inside the base. Rey had Leia's dress and sandals tucked over her arm, and she was about to hand them over when she remembered something.

"Wait a second, let me remove the Force field from the dress," Rey said, closing her eyes and placing a palm above the garment. After a few moments, as she felt the concentration of the Force slipping away, she handed the items to Leia.

"A Force field?" Leia repeated, setting the items on the caf table before them.

"Yes, Ben and I put them onto things around us, so Snoke won't know when we're together," Rey explained. "It's kept us secret from him so far."

"That's smart of you," Leia said, settling down onto the couch across from Rey. They both watched as a small droid rolled into the room and set a tray of steaming tea and cups onto the low table between them. "Would you like some?" Leia asked, leaning forward and filling a cup.

"Yes, thank you," Rey said, and Leia handed her the cup before filling her own. "Thank you for letting me over, I needed some company. Some girl company, I should say." She couldn't push the image of Poe kissing her forehead out of her mind.

"I understand completely," Leia said, chuckling and sipping her tea. "So, how are things with you and Ben?"

"It's good, everything's...good," Rey said, nodding absently.

Leia tilted her head. "That doesn't sound so convincing. Is he being difficult? I'll have you know he got that trait from his father."

"No," Rey said. "I mean, I still can't convince him to leave the Empire, but you already know that. I guess I was expecting to be able to persuade him to leave this time, but...I was wrong," she said, looking down into her teacup.

Leia sighed and looked around the room. "I trust that he'll return to us when he feels the time is right," she said. "In that, he is different from his father."

Rey felt a pang of sadness for Leia and Ben both, remembering the memories she'd seen in Ben's mind of how Han would leave for long periods of time after fights with Leia. Rey absentmindedly stroked her fingers along the thin chain of her necklace, something that was becoming a habit of hers. It brought her a strange comfort, knowing that it was something that Ben had touched and given to her. She blinked as she became fully aware of the necklace again, and wondered if she should reveal it to Leia. "Ben has to return at some point—He made a promise to me," she said, looking across at the Chancellor.

"To leave the Empire?" Leia asked.

Rey paused. "Actually...he promised that we'd...be married one day," she said, biting her lip.

Leia slapped her hands on her legs. "He proposed?" She asked, her mouth open in surprise.

"Well, not quite—"

"My boy?" Leia exclaimed over her. "We're in the middle of this dreadful war and he's thinking about marriage? Has he lost his head completely? Tell him he's lost his head. Stars…" She trailed, shaking her head in astonishment. "Well, did he give you a ring?" She asked, leaning forward to peer at Rey's hands.

"Well, not exactly," Rey said, looking down and slipping the small diamond from under her shirt. She looked up as Leia scuttled over to her to inspect the necklace. Leia smiled as she gently lifted the diamond with her fingers.

"Ah, so you've been hiding it. This is...so lovely. Simple, elegant. He has good taste. He gets that from me," she said in a self-satisfied manner, releasing the diamond. "Well, he better return soon if he made a promise like that," Leia said, looking down at Rey, her expression softening. "Oh, Sweetheart, let me hug you," she said, and leaned down to wrap Rey in a tight embrace. "I love you as you are now, but of course I'd be even more excited to be able to call you my daughter-in-law."

Rey smiled, but as Leia hugged her she felt a tug in her chest. What if Ben never made it out of the Empire? What if the war lasted beyond their lifetimes? Beyond Leia's? Rey couldn't help but wonder.

"Forgive me for overreacting, but I'm just taken aback," Leia said, rising and seeming to steady herself.

"I was, too," Rey said with a wistful smile.

"I never thought Ben would marry, much less find real love, since he was taken by the Empire," Leia mused. "But ever since I saw into his head when he visited me here, I've known how he loves you, and now it's becoming clear to me how serious this all really is." Leia sat down next to Rey and sighed, leaning against her shoulder. "He has to leave the Empire...it's his destiny."

"I hope you're right," Rey said, taking in the last sip of her tea.

"It's funny, I...sense him through you," Leia said. "It brings me comfort. Your bond must be powerful in the Force. It makes me wonder how strong you two would be if you teamed up in this blasted war."

"I've wondered that too," Rey said, "but Ben will have none of it."

"I know," Leia said quietly. "He's a stubborn one. So much like Han." They were silent for a moments until Leia shifted the conversation. "I heard you'll be joining us on Storia in the next few days," she said, and Rey nodded. "I've been feeling stressed about it...I believe it's the Force. Perhaps it's some sort of omen, or perhaps it's just because I'm worrying too much, I haven't been to a battle in person for a very long time. I really don't know, but I guess we'll just have to face it head on." She paused. "Have you discussed this at all with Ben? Will he be fighting? I don't know how I'm going to cope with seeing him like that..."

"He is fighting. I'm sure he and I will have to face each other at some point," Rey said, looking over at Leia.

"And how are you two planning on playing that out?" Leia chuckled.

Rey chuckled in turn, but her heart wasn't in it. "I don't know," she said. "I guess we'll just have to face it head on," she added. Leia smiled before wrapping an arm around Rey's back and resting her head on her shoulder affectionately.

And the plot thickens...Thanks for reading and commenting! I really appreciate you Padawans.