Hey guys!

So I'm planning on publishing two chapters today because they are so short. I am back with my laptop for the first time in a while, so I'm excited to start writing more. It's so much easier when it's not a small phone screen.

Sorry if things look different. I am still learning this site and I'm trying to format things right so it's easy to read. I will get better I promise.

Hope you enjoy!

The song that inspired the title of this chapter: "I Lost a Friend" by FINNEAS

"Look here now. That is how you write my name." Han Solo pointed at his writing on the paper in front of him.

"I've seen that before." Ben stroked his fingers over the name. As he was remembering, Han picked up his young son and placed him on his lap. Thinking worriedly that his son had seen one of his wanted posters, he asked the young boy.

"Where have you seen it?" Ben Solo picked up a holoprojector to his left and clicked a button, which revealed a list of names of decorated war generals. In the list was Han Solo's name. "Do you know what that is?" Han asked his son again.

"That says 'heroes'" Ben exclaimed, and an amused smile crossed Han's face. Ben looked up at his father. "Dad, are you a hero?" Touched by the question, Han pressed his son.

"Do you think I'm a hero?" Han pointed to his chest. His son snuggled his head into Han's chest. Ben was his father's son. He indeed looked up to Han, and he would press his buttons knowing that he wouldn't get into trouble.

"I think Mom is a hero." Ben put down the holoprojector with a smirk on his face. Han lifted his son abruptly into the air, and Ben began to laugh.

"Is that so?!" Han twirled around and placed his son on the ground. "Well, you're right about that kid." Han pointed at his son in his lecture-y way. "I knew you were smart. But do you think you're smart enough to fly the Millennium Falcon?" Han's smiling face broadened as he saw the expression of excitement on the face of his son.

"You're going to teach me to fly the ship?!"

"No, of course not, kid!" Han looked away with his trademark mildly irritated expression and then leaned into his son until their noses were almost touching. With a mischievous smile, he whispered "… I'm going to show you how to fly the ship."

Han hoisted his son up in the air and onto his shoulders in supreme delight. Ben started to laugh as they headed to the cockpit.

Flash forward

Ben stepped out of the closet into the crew quarters. He adjusted the vest he put back on after his shower. He grabbed the towel he had left just outside the closet and continued to dry his hair with it. The new sonic shower had come in handy to clean his clothing. He could have killed two birds with one stone by using the sonic shower alone, but sonic showers were a staple of the hygiene routines required by the First Order. Ben didn't feel like missing out on the rare opportunity of getting clean the old-fashioned way.

Ben walked back into the refresher and took another look at himself in the mirror. He had shaved, and he saw to the cuts and bruises that still lingered from the recent battle.

He'd had enough time to examine himself and gratefully Rey had provided him with all the supplies he needed to patch and medicate every problem area. He was still in rough shape, and couldn't walk normally. Often his steps were slow and deliberate. He has fallen through enough deep pits to last a lifetime.

Now, he just stared at the finished product. Patching up the outside was the easy part.

The battle that faced him now was patching up the inside and proving himself worthy to be the hero he used to dream he would be.

Suddenly, the blast door to the crew quarters came open and Rey abruptly hopped inside.

She looked around for Ben, and her eyes finally rested on him as he walked out of the refresher, clean and presentable. He stopped only a few feet away and for a short moment, they only stood still, staring at each other, speechless. Rey's gaze rested curiously on Ben's wet hair, then on his face, patched with small white bandages.

When Rey realized Ben was waiting for her to tell him why she barged in, she stuttered, "Chewie is…almo…st finished." Rey widely grinned at her stammer and the awkwardness of the stalemate.

Ben raised his eyebrows in subtle breathless wonder and asked, "Rey… how did you convince Poe and the others to let me go with you?"

Rey looked down, her dimpled smile still plastered on her face. "Poe is my friend. I like to think I convinced him you have changed." Rey then looked into Ben's eyes, "Not many others know about this yet, so I think we should blast off this planet quickly!" Rey turned to leave, "Come on! Everything's repaired and ready to go."

Ben watched her trot away. He tried not to let his gut-wrenching fear of facing a rebel-strewn galaxy displace his exhilaration at this spontaneous getaway. He cleared his throat, ran his fingers through his damp hair, and started after Rey.