a/n: hello all you lovely readers! thank you all for the kind reviews, it's so exciting seeing how many views this is getting from around the world!

also, this has been officially updated to M (there is nothing explicit happening in the story so far, it is simply becoming more focused on the romance, and i updated it to be on the safe side. there will be cw's for if the story does include more explicit content!)

"Now we're standing alone in a crowded room/ And we're not speaking/ And I'm dying to know, is it killing you/ Like it's killing me?"-The Story Of Us, Taylor Swift (in honor of speak now tv)

Chapter 14

I woke up to something clinging to my side. At first, it was jarring, to feel something warm and so close. However, once I opened my eyes and looked down at Rey, it was not jarring anymore whatsoever-it was utter peace, seeing how content she was at my side, curled into me.

I made sure to stay still, to not disturb her, but it was as though she could sense in her sleeping subconscious that I had woken-within moments, she was stirring. She didn't open her eyes yet, still in that grey haze of space between dreaming and reality, and I watched with wonder as she stretched an arm to fold around me, her hand holding onto my shoulder, bringing her head further into the crook of my shoulder and neck.

I couldn't tell if this was complete bliss, or a disaster waiting to happen, when she would fully wake up and realize she had slept in the same bed with a monster.

Her face was now pointed up to me, and my craning back, I could take another precious minute to take in her features this up close. The freckles that dusted her nose, the flutter of her lashes as she dreamt, the parting of her lips as she breathed contently. It was the sort of vision I wished I could drink in for the rest of my undeserving life.

"Mm," Rey mumbled as her eyes began to open. "Your thoughts are so loud in the morning." Kriff, I had totally forgotten to throw up my mental shields against her. Even though I had just woken up. But, alas, if it meant she would sleep better, I'd do it in an instant.

"Sorry, sweetheart," I muttered into her hair. "Good morning, by the way." She was peering up at me now.

"Good morning," she yawned, and began to sat up. As she sat up, I remembered another crucial piece of information from last night: the damned sliver of clothing the store clerk had tried to sell of as sleepwear. It was difficult enough knowing I'd be sleeping in the same bed as Rey, but to also know she was wearing...that, did not help. As she sat up, she stretched her arms above her, running her hands through her rumpled hair, looking very rosy and adorable in the soft light coming from the window.

"Do you think the boys are up, yet?" She asked me, as if I would know. I shrugged, and also sat up, attempting to discreetly readjust the waistband of my pants in the meanwhile under the thick quilt.

"We should probably get ready, go and find them. Maker knows just how ill they'll be feeling this morning." She rubbed her own temples at this with one hand, and I moved over to her in concern.

"Headache?" I asked, reaching out to touch her wrist. For the first time since she had not had them on, I noticed the silver lines that ribboned across her forearms. I stopped myself from touching them, afraid I may hurt her. She misunderstood the gesture, and in a parsec, darted her eyes from my eyes, to my hands, to her wrists, and then pulled them inward to herself, shielding them from my eyes. Her face was set in a scowl.

"Yes, but I'm fine," she bit out. I was such a kriffing idiot for not hurrying up to explain myself-instead, I sat there with my hands still vaguely in the air, reaching for her, my mouth agape. "Just going to get ready." She threw the quilt off of her legs, and bent to her trunk to fetch her clothing for the day. The view of her svelte form bent over the luggage would have been admirable from this angle, but I was too busy admonishing myself for seeming stunned at her scars. As if I didn't have ones of my own. Ones that even she had given me.

She didn't look at me once before marching into the restroom, but the energy around her was practically sizzling. I was truly an idiot. I flopped back down on my back and brought my hands up to cover my face. I groaned in frustration at myself. This is why you revolt her, I told myself.

Instead of continuing to wallow in my self-hatred, I picked up my commlink from the bedside table next to me. No new alerts or anything in any inboxes, except for one message from my mother. I tapped on it and read it, expecting it to be a message of motherly support or new information on the mission tonight. It was neither.

Ben-

The council from your trial has decided, in your absence on this mission, that you are to be sent to your location of exile in the intermittent periods of missions such as these. If you need anything from base, I'll have it sent to your location.

That is, by the way, going to be with your cousin Ejan. Have fun with that. Chewie will be dropping you off in route to returning the rest of the team to base.

I'll see you soon-I'm supposed to visit Naboo soon anyways.

-Mother

I figured my exile location would be somewhere not entirely pleasant. Little did I know, though, that the location itself was going to be fantastic-but my company was going to be hellish. I sent her a quick message in response relaying that I'd gotten the information.

I wasn't expecting to have to say goodbye to Rey so soon. I thought we'd have at least a few more days back on Ajan Kloss. Maybe she'd be on future missions the council would call upon me for. Or, maybe, if she knew I was on them, she'd want nothing more to do with them. Maybe today was the last time I'd have with Rey. The thought had me spiralling, my heart tightening at the mere idea that I wouldn't get to see Rey again, my mind folding in on itself.

If it was going to be my last day with Rey, I'd make it count.

Rey exited the restroom shortly after, in a very debonair-looking suit with no jacket, and a plunging neckline which I was both grateful for and annoyed at. The universe really was just taunting me, wasn't it?

Rey didn't look at me, or speak to me, as she moved past me into the living parlor. I was also upset to see that today's outfit covered her arms. I'd have to apologize before tonight, I knew. Hell, knowing just how little time I had, I'd apologize as soon as I got myself ready.

In the shower and while dressing in my typical black attire for the day, I rehearsed, in my head, what my apology would be. All variations of it sounded sort of pathetic and self-pitying, and were borderline admitting that I truly, deeply, loved her, which I couldn't tell her for fear she would actually start attacking me in anger. Once I combed my hair back, I took a deep breath, and exited the restroom, ready to make myself sound like a fool.

In the living parlor, Rey was seated on a black couch, reading a Holo pad and eating breakfast that must have been served while I was getting ready for the day. She didn't look up at me, and I noticed she had pulled her hair back. I stood there awkwardly in the doorway, with my hands clasped behind me, waiting for her to acknowledge my presence here. Or maybe I looked weird standing, so I moved to sit on the other edge of the couch, facing her. She continued to ignore me and chew her food in silence. I cleared my throat. Here goes nothing.

"Rey," I spoke quietly but firmly, wanting her to hear my sincerity. "About earlier, I didn't-"

"Didn't what?" Rey asked, not looking up at me. "Didn't mean to ogle my deformities, did you? It's alright, Ben, you're not the first. Just the only one I wasn't expecting to do so." She took a bite of bread. She didn't expect me to? That surprised me, I figured she thought low enough of me.

"No, that's-that's not what I was doing," I began my case. "I knew you must have had scars, Rey. I've seen slaves from Jakku to Tatooine. I know what you've been through-"

"Please, you don't know a bloody thing about what I've been through," she finally looked at me, but she was glaring. I swallowed, hard. I hated seeing how I had upset her. How would I ever stop hurting this woman I loved? When would it finally be enough?

"You're right, and I'm sorry," I admitted. "Truly. I didn't mean to stare, Rey, and it wasn't for the reasons you think." She narrowed her eyes at me ever so slightly. "I was staring, because...I couldn't imagine how anyone could do such a thing to you, Rey. Who could...hurt you, like that. I felt this need for revenge I haven't felt in a long, long time." It was my turn to look away, in shame. "I know I only know a smidgen of what you went through, but I want you to know, you deserved none of it. I wish I could have been there to stop it, to show you that." My voice had lowered considerably now. We sat in silence for a minute, and I was waiting for her to continue emitting anger at me, but instead, as always, she surprised me.

She reached her hand out to place it on top of mine. I snapped my head up to look at her, and her eyes were full of so much emotion I could barely decipher it beyond my own. She was tearing up, and I was prepared to admonish myself once more for bringing her to tears with my words. That is, until she spoke.

"Thank you, Ben," she whispered, her voice thick with tears. "That...that means a lot to me." I let my other hand come over to place on top of hers, enveloping it completely. In the walls of her mind, I could sense a hesitance. I furrowed my brow in question, and she blushed as soon as she noticed. Had I embarrassed her by bringing all of this up? She shook her head, and I realized I had let my own mental defences fall just enough so she could grasp that question.

"No, no, you've done nothing wrong, it's just..." she shook her head one final time, and brought her hands up to her face to wipe away her tears, leaving my hands cold. "Agh, sorry about that, you know, it's just..." she tried to laugh it off, waving me away. So uncomfortable being comforted, even though it was what she craved the most in the whole world. I knew the feeling.

"Let's go find the boys, shall we?" She asked me, and stood up, quirking her head towards the door. I could only nod, and wordlessly follow her out of the room and into the lift to go find her friends.

I wanted many things from Rey, but most of all, I wanted her to trust me. To understand I was here for her, regardless of if she wanted that, but to let her know that she wasn't as alone in this galaxy as she thought she was. No where even close.

I had wanted to tell Ben how much he had meant to me, not just his words, but I couldn't bring myself to humiliate myself like that in front of him. Especially not after I had basically thrown myself at him, last night, in bed. I was eternally grateful for this man's heart, his kindness, his empathy. He had tried to apologize, and all I did was nearly throttle him. His words had reached deep into my soul, like a healing balm, and I barely had enough strength in me to allow myself to accept it.

I would think about these things later-we had a job to do. And, seeing as over half of our active mission party had slept in most of the day from our drunken stupor, we needed to start planning the details now.

Finding Finn and Poe was easy, as I suspected it would be. They were dressed in their day wear by the pool, laid out in matching resting chairs. I moved to shadow over Finn, while Ben stood a few feet back from us.

"Ugh, Rey, please don't do that," Finn groaned. "I'm trying to tan, please." I giggled and put my hands on my hips.

"Get up, you two. We need to start preparing for the gala, which is actually in just over four Standard hours. We've been awfully lazy on this job so far, we need to pick up the pace." I sounded so silly ordering them around, but someone had to be the leader around here, didn't they? Even though I was looking at two fully capable generals.

"It's not that difficult," Poe had his eyes closed, his face pointed up to the sky, the lines on his face looking smoother than they had in a while. "We arrive, you and Ben do a bit of smooching for the socialites to faun over, Finn and I arrive and fuck shit up. We arrest these First Order bastards, and bam, we've got a job well done and we're back to base all too soon." I rolled my eyes, which neither of the men laying before me saw. I had flustered at the mention of Ben and I smooching. I was pretty sure Ben would want no 'smooching' this evening, regardless of how important the job may be.

"It's not that simple," I retorted. "Besides, you two need to be as covert as possible tonight. Try not to stand out, maybe come up with fake names or something. And, you need to decide on a signal for Ben and I to know to join you once you've secured the targets." Both men sighed at the same time, which I would have laughed at, if I didn't feel thoroughly annoyed right now.

"Fine, fine," Finn huffed, trying to crane his neck around my shadow to reach the sun, an exercise in futility. "When we've got the targets, we'll throw up a two-fingered signal-"

"Maybe one finger would be enough," Poe muttered. I glared at him, which he did not see.

"No, it will be two fingers. Once you see that, you'll know to haul ass to come with us. I will not be holding up two fingers all night looking like a fool, so you better keep an eye out, 'kay?" Finn asked, I assumed to Ben and I.

"Okay, sure," I answered.

"And as far as fake names and whatnot, again, these people will know the two us, so that would just be suspicious." Finn was doing me the courtesy of answering all points of my areas for concern. "We'll just keep our heads down, stay on the outskirts of the commotion. It'll be fine." He took a sip from a glass of something I could only hope was non-alcoholic, for both of our sakes. "Besides, the bigger concern would be, exactly how are you and the Supreme Leader himself going to keep the attention on the pair of you until Poe and I finish the heavy lifting?" Finn opened one eye to look between Ben and I. Ben was towering over us from a few feet away, his hands clasped behind his back. He looked at me as if for an answer. I had none.

"Um," I thought aloud. "We'll just...do what married couples do." I tried to sound sure of myself.

"I'm pretty sure if you do what married couples do at a public event, you'll end up being the ones in handcuffs," Poe smirked at me, without opening his eyes. I felt my face turn bright red, and didn't dare turn to Ben to let him see just how much that remark stunned me.

"Poe! That's not what-you know that's not what I meant," I stumbled over my words. I breathed deeply, trying to streamline my thoughts. Leave it to Poe to be crass and ruin my day. "We'll just, walk around, hold hands, look very enticing or whatnot as the new money of the party." As if I had any idea how to do any of the things I just said. Finn shrugged in his seat.

"Then it seems we've nothing to worry about," Finn told me. "Now, if you will, I'm trying to enjoy the sun before I have to go get all prettied up for this gala. See you two in a bit." And with that, Ben and I were dismissed. I huffed, looked between the two of them, and moved toward Ben.

"I guess everything is squared away, then?" I avoided eye contact, hoping he couldn't feel how erratically my heart was fluttering at the thought of simply holding hands with him. What was wrong with me? Why was I acting like such a fool in love?

Oh, right. Probably because I was a fool in love.

"Yes, it appears so," Ben followed me across the veranda back into the hotel, where we really didn't have much to do except go to the bar, which I could not stomach the thought of, or back to our room, where I'd have to sit with Ben in silence. At least on base there were places or work I could escape to-I hated feeling so constricted, waiting for the job to arrive.

"Would you like to tour more of the hotel?" Ben asked, suddenly, and I looked up at him to raise an eyebrow.

"What's more of the hotel to see?" I asked slowly, gesturing around the lobby. Ben smiled and shrugged.

"I don't know, honestly, I figured I should offer," we both laughed.

"I'm alright, I think. I was planning on going back upstairs, to read, but feel free to do some touring," I wiggled my eyebrows at him, poking fun at him. He rolled his eyes in mock annoyance. I giggled once more, and he looked at me with a softness in his eyes I never saw him direct anywhere else.

"Actually, reading sounds like a good idea," he began to stride towards the lifts. "You interrupted my reading last night, as well as stealing all of the blankets." I gasped in-what was it? Teasing? Was I flirting for the first time in my life? Badly? With Ben Solo?

"I do not steal the covers!" In honesty, I did not know, because I had never slept in the same bed with anyone else before.

"You do, actually," Ben told me as we ascended up the pearly lift to our floor. "Don't worry, it's quite endearing that such a small person could need so much blanket to keep warm." He smirked at me. I felt a flush reach my cheeks. He did not call me endearing in any way that mattered, I had to remind myself. This was all just a game.

"Well, says the man who is practically his own space heater," I nudged his arm with my elbow, and we both laughed at each other. The next few hours passed in silent content, as we each read, in our space in the living parlor. I tried to pretend that I was not stealing glances at him every minute I could, and a couple of times when I looked up, I could have sworn he had just averted his eyes from mine.

Almost.

Spending such domestic time alone with Rey was enough to make me a very happy man for the entire day.

Once the time rolled around for us to prepare for the gala, Rey looked ravishing as always in her gown that hung from her gracefully, not seeming at all hesitant about her arms being bare, which I was grateful for. She looked at my black suit with a look that meant 'really, black again?' and I could only shrug. Wearing it everyday for over a decade makes it a bit of a habit.

We met Poe and Finn in the lobby, and they looked not out of place what so ever in classic yet simple suits, which I could tell Rey was grateful for. She had been concerned they'd show up in animal-printed, bold outfits that would make them stand out in crowds even on Zeltros.

The four of us boarded the Zafir, and Chewie relaxedly took us not far over the city to the gala location, in a beautiful marble building of white and silver, floating just like everything else did on Coruscant. Poe and his droid chatted idly for a while, while Rey looked out of the windows in awe, taking everything in. If only she knew how the city paled in comparison to how she looked tonight.

"Ok, team, we ready to do this thing?" Poe asked as we landed gently in the ship lot outside of the building.

"I think so. Chewie, are we good for getting to the town hall as soon as BB-8 sees us exit?" Finn asked, as Chewie was leaned out of the cockpit.

"Yep. Everything is set to go, it's just up to you four to get them to me. See you in hopefully a couple of Standard hours or so?" He asked, looking between each of us. We each nodded.

"Trust us, Chewie. When have we ever failed at such a simple job?" Poe asked, cockily.

"Well, there was that one time on-" Chewie started. Poe looked taken aback.

"Hey, no, we don't mention that one time, because that one time didn't count." He shook his head in disappointment. "Anyways, Rey, Ren, are you two ready to go?" I still didn't like how he called me Ren. Rey looked up at me, expectantly. I nodded at her.

"Yes, I think so," she said with surety. "We'll go ahead and get the party started. You two should come in not too long afterwards, okay?" The boys nodded. Rey turned to me again, and looked up at me, waiting for me to lead the way, I guessed. I held my arm up for her, and she hooked her arm under it, allowing me to guide her off the ship. The shoes she was wearing this evening were much easier for her to walk in than the ones from last night, I noticed.

"Can I be honest with you?" She asked me, suddenly, surprising me as we walked across the short courtyard to the red velvet carpet that was rolled down the stairs of the entrance. I nodded, my eyes searching in her to find any worry. There wasn't much, and she laughed at my obvious concern.

"I have no idea what I'm doing," she laughed out. I followed suit, letting go of some of my worry that perhaps she was feeling too apprehensive about this whole ordeal. I relaxed a bit, knowing she wasn't too concerned.

"Don't worry, sweetheart," I tilted my head down a bit, to whisper in her ear. "Just follow my lead, as we'll be the best fake husband and wife this side of the galaxy quadrant has ever seen." She threw her head back laughing, and it was a ringing sound I wished I could hear for the rest of my life. Too bad my time with her was so limited, I remembered with a pang in my stomach. But that was no matter-Rey was going to have a good, final evening with me. I would not let my own worries get in the way of that.

Entering the gala had been much like entering the shop on Zeltros-Rey looked as astonished as ever at the glimmering chandeliers, the gowns and smiles that seemed to glow, the music and air of the place that just exuded wealth and luxury. For me, however, it was a very run-of-the-mill political event. I had attended hundreds as a kid, and they got boring pretty quickly to me. But seeing Rey take it all in for the first time, looking around in wonder, made me appreciate the setting a bit more.

People took note of us immediately, and I pulled Rey closer in to my side as we strode into the center of the ballroom, where there were groups and pairs chatting, dancing, drinking, laughing. Once we found ourselves in the middle of the room, lots of people looked at us in innocent curiosity, and it was not long before people began to approach us.

"Hello, there!" A non-humanoid man with two, same-species women flanking his sides. Other couples came to move around us as well. "You two look new, have we not met before?" I was glad Rey was not alarmed by the sudden oncoming of people, and instead, she was smiling politely, just as I was. We were playing our parts quite well, already.

"I don't believe we have," I answered. "I'm Bey of Chandrila, and this is my wife, Rylo of Jakku." I could feel Rey quiver slightly from repressed laughter at my ridiculous use of our names, current and former, anagrammed and mismatched. It was the first thing I had thought of to use.

"Ah, Chandrila! Fantastic place, haven't taken holiday there in quite a while," another man interjected into the conversation. He continued to speak, but I felt Rey speak into my mind.

Finn and Poe are here, now, she let me know.

Okay, thanks, I replied, focusing again on what the people around us were saying.

"So, how did a lovely couple such as yourselves end up at a party like this?" A woman asked, looking at Rey.

"Oh, we're relatives of the Holfan family. We happened to be in town, so we decided we simply had to drop by!" Rey was playing her part well, and I felt pride at her in this moment, of seeing her carry herself with such elegance. I wound my arm tighter around her side, wishing that this could be real.

A minute or so passed in boring, shallow conversation, until suddenly Rey was loosening herself from my grip. I looked over at her in question.

"Sorry, dear, I'm just going to get a drink," she looked at me with a perfectly polite smile, but in her eyes I could tell something was wrong.

"Of course, sweetheart," I muttered, just loud enough for our company to hear us. As Rey walked away through the crowd, I was barely paying attention to what the people around me were saying of her.

"She's a stunner, that one," I heard one man say.

"Truly," another woman agreed. "And so delightful!" I mumbled polite 'yes's and watched over the heads of the rest of the crowd as her form wound through the crowd.

There's an issue, Rey spoke to me through the bond. I could feel it, from Finn.

Okay, I answered. Do you know what's wrong? I saw her craning her head around, looking for our compatriots, who I could not spot. Without warning, she slipped between two guests and disappeared into the midst of the crowd, and I could no longer see her.

Rey? I called, struggling to hide how frantic I was. Thankfully, the daft folks around me were too busy talking amongst themselves to notice my inattention. Rey, what's wrong? I can't see you. In answer, I felt a flex in the energy in the room, from a far off corner hidden by a bit of wall.

Rey? I called out tentatively.

Ben! Rey was choking the thought out of her mind. Quick-please!

"Excuse me," I shoved my flute of champagne into the nearest hand, and although the people around me gasped in dismay at my rudeness, I walked away, honed in on that space behind the wall. I pushed my way through the crowd, muttering excuses and apologies, and walked around the wall, where there was a bit of a corridor that led to an exit. An exit through which I knew we could easily reach the Zafir. There was also a man, pointing blasters at Finn and Poe, who were pointing blasters back.

More importantly, however, there was another man, holding Rey by the throat up against the wall, pointing a blaster behind him at Finn.

To put it delicately, I began to see red.

"Get your hands OFF of her!" I roared at the man strangling Rey, and his eyes darted over to look at me. He did a double-take, realizing who I was.

"Well, I'll be damned," he said emphatically, and I looked quickly over to Rey, to see that she was struggling to breathe, but was feisty as ever. She must not have done anything, for fear of hurting Finn, or for blowing our cover. "If it isn't the Supreme Leader himself. Or, should I say, ex-Supreme Leader." He grimaced in disgust.

"I hate to tell you that I don't even know your name," I said in indifference. "I also hate to tell you that, if you don't take your hand off of her, you'll deeply regret it." I moved closer, to tower over him, and he moved to point his blaster at me. I saw and felt Rey tense at this movement. I simply used the Force to yank it out of his hand, to slide it across the floor.

"If you want to play dirty, I'll have my mate here just take out the rest of your team, huh?" The man was bluffing. If he wanted us dead, he would have killed Poe and Finn as soon as he got the chance. He wanted them-for bounties, I assumed. Maybe the servants of the First Order were still intact enough to be taking hostages.

"I don't care what you do about them," I told him. "Just let her go, and we'll be on our way." He scoffed at me, and gestured with his head to Rey, who was squirming under his grasp. I knew she could get out of the hold if she tried, but she was too worried about what that would mean for her friends.

"You mean, I let go of this filthy desert whore, and you'll let us have the blokes behind us? 'S fine, don't need your sloppy seconds anyway-" I didn't let him finish. I had hid his throat in my hand via the Force, his body thrown against the wall next to Rey, who was not bent over coughing, gasping for air. I was crushing his windpipe-I could feel it.

"Don't you dare even acknowledge her, you fucking imbecile," I spat at him. The music and jest of the party was enough to keep this rendezvous private. I moved my forefinger ever so slightly, fully strangling him. "You will keep your mouth shut, so help me Maker you dare put your hands or your thoughts on that woman, I will-" I felt Rey's hand on my shoulder.

"Ben," she coughed out. "Don't-we have to get them to the ship." I flicked my eyes over to look at her, and she looked completely okay, and I also looked behind her to see that, in the haze of my anger, I hadn't noticed that Rey had incapacitated the other First Order relic, and Poe and Finn were hoisting him up under his shoulders. I nodded, my mouth agape in anger at this man and frustration at myself.

"Okay," I agreed. I let the man fall to the ground with a thud, and he began to sputter violently. I began to drag him along behind me, as Rey moved to open the doors into the night air.

"Nice job for being discreet, you two," Poe sneered at Rey and I.

"Well, congrats on getting yourselves in this situation in the first place. And you're welcome for saving your arses!" Rey was jogging a bit so she could alert Chewie in the cockpit to open the doors for boarding. She waved frantically at the front windshield.

"Yeah, well, while you two were playing honeymooners, we were doing some real work," Finn interjected as he and Poe hauled the first man up the loading deck. I was still dragging the now unconscious body of the other man behind me.

"We were doing our job, and you should have said something if you felt this was going to be too much to take on," Rey was speaking fast, and as Chewie got us up in the air without a word, she and the other two men began to shackle and fasten our new prisoners to a rack on the ship, in the hallway at random.

"Yeah, well maybe next time, use the Force to save us quicker-" Poe bit out.

"That's not how the Force works!" Rey shouted in irritation.

"All of you, stop arguing, we still have a job to do," I ordered, somewhat unsure of myself to be slipping into a leadership role after my last endeavour ended the way it did. And surrounded by people who had been actively against me. All three of them turned their heads to look at me, in confusion, in disbelief, and, in Rey's flustered face, I saw a coy smile.

"Okay, now hold on-" Finn began.

"No, he has a point. Drop the arguing, let's get these guys to the town hall, alright?" Rey asked, standing. I guess her word was final, because the men just scowled and huffed, standing as well, looking at the prisoners who were slumped against the floor, unconscious, their hands awkwardly in the air above them chained to the wall. Poe, for good measure, kicked the one nearest to him in the shin. The man did not move.

"Fine, fine," Finn muttered, and then walked into the lobby area to slouch down into the booth surrounding the Dejarik table. Poe followed suit.

Once we were alone, I looked at Rey, who was panting with her hands on her hips, but seemed otherwise okay.

"Are you alright?" I asked in concern, moving toward her to look closer at her neck. She didn't stop me, and allowed me to bring my fingertips up to her chin, to lift her face up a bit toward the light. I noticed faint red markings of where that bastard's hand had been-it was going to leave a bruise. I should have killed him while I had the chance, for hurting her like this. I looked into Rey's eyes, and she was regarding me with curiosity, with compassion, strangely enough.

"I'm alright, thanks for stepping in," she said with sincerity, not patronizing me. "Are you okay?" She asked, and stood back to look me up and down. I smiled at her caring for me, even though she was the one that had been thrown against the wall.

"I'm fine, now that I know you're okay," I admitted freely. These were the last precious minutes I was going to have with Rey, as I felt the ship begin to descend. Poe and Finn moved into the hallway to unshackle the prisoners, ready to be hauled off.

"I'm fine, don't worry," Rey smiled up at me shyly. "We're all back, so that's what matters."

"Yeah, not for long," Poe interrupted. "Apparently, once we get these guys off our hands, Ren's going to Naboo to begin his 'punishment.'"

How had he found out? Had Chewie told him? He was the only one who knew about the detour, since he was the only one in the cockpit-

Except, he wasn't. He technically had another crew member. The droid. Poe's droid. And the droid had most likely told his master, like a good pet does.

Rey whipped her head to look at Poe, and then back to me. Her eyes looked like they were going to tear up, and she opened her mouth to speak. Her features fell in an instant, looking hurt and shocked all at the same time.

"What?" Rey asked with fervor. I paid no heed as the boarding dock was lowered, and the bothan from my trial along with other guards came onto the ship to take the prisoners, and to speak momentarily with Finn and Chewie. Poe had stepped away, realizing what he had done.

This was not how I wanted the goodbye to go.

What did he mean? He wasn't going to his exile location now, was he? He couldn't, it was too sudden, he still had so much he needed to do back on base!

"I'll be spending my time on Naboo in between missions the council deems necessary for me to be a part of," Ben literally read my mind, therefore my panic.

"But, you cant just leave," I breathed out, not even noticing that the town hall's men and the prisoners we had just taken were now off of the ship. I half-heartedly slammed my mental defences up. "We still have-we still need-" I was breathing fast now, panicking. I could hardly imagine a world now where he wouldn't be with me. I knew he didn't want that, that I was being pathetic, practically begging him not to go just yet. I knew this was going to come eventually, but I couldn't handle it now-I thought we had more time.

"I have to," Ben said with sorrow. His deep brown eyes were looking into mine with such sincerity, I swore I could feel something-some emotion from him I couldn't quite place. I shook my head, in disbelief, in disagreement.

"No, you should at least be able to say bye to your mum-"

"I did, the morning we left for Zeltros." He spoke low.

"I don't understand, why didn't you tell me?" I could feel tears flowing down my face. We were up in the air again, floating now toward a place I would have to leave him.

"Because I didn't know you'd care," the words hit me like a punch to the gut. What did he mean? He didn't think I'd care? He didn't realize he was the center of my whole kriffing galaxy? That his absence from my life was going to be the most painful heartbreak I'd have ever felt in years, since my parents left me? I scoffed in his face.

"Wouldn't care? Do you realize how selfish you sound right now?" I was getting angry at his ignorance. "Ben, I fought for you. I fought for your freedom, for you to not go to prison, to be here, with me-I can't let that go now!" Finn and Poe were standing in the lobby, peering through the doorway, staring at us-I could feel it. I had, unwittingly, moved forward and grasped Ben's arms. I was pleading for him to understand what I was meaning. I couldn't bear another rejection from him. I couldn't say it.

"But you-you said that Exegol didn't matter-" he looked thoroughly confused now, his voice reedy from emotion. Suddenly, it clicked.

In the med bay. When he said that what happened on Exegol wasn't important, he didn't mean the kiss. He meant the fighting, the pain, the hurt. He was trying to comfort me. And when I had said it didn't matter, he had totally misunderstood, just as I had enforced it unknowingly.

I took his face in my hands, and pulled him down closer. I looked into his honey-brown eyes, and breathed out shakily. I kissed him quickly, forcefully, passionately. As awkward as ever, but I meant it.

When I pulled back a second later, his eyes were still open, looking into mine with confusion and happiness and relief. Everything I was feeling, too.

"It mattered," I told him, still holding his face in between my hands. "It mattered more than you know." He held one of my hands against his face.

"Oh, sweetheart, I think I know." He smiled at me, like he had after the first kiss on Exegol. I smiled back, triumphant, that we had come to an understanding.

"Chewie," I called, loud enough for my voice to ring in the ship. I moved my eyes, hesitantly, away from Ben's. I looked past the gawking, open-mouthed faces of Poe and Finn, into the cockpit.

"Yes?" Chewie called back, not looking away from out of the front windshield.

"You'll have to relay to General Organa that you'll have some missing crew when you get back to base," I called in return.

"She knows Ben is going to Naboo, now," Chewie called back, voice tinted with question. I turned back to look at Ben, who was still holding my hands to his face.

"I know," I answered. "What she doesn't know, is that I'll be going with him."