Author's Note: My goodness...this past month has been completely hectic. But I'm happy to have finally finished this chapter (I've been working on it off and on for weeks). Sorry for the wait. I hope that you all have had a fairly decent month, and are in good health.

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars.

"Rey?"

She heard the whisper in her head.

It was faint, and hurried, and undeniably desperate.

She knew right away who it was, and right away that he needed her, but she faltered a moment before returning the call. She wasn't sure if the severity of his situation was legitimate, or if it was merely bait to get her to come crawling to him, but she couldn't resist the pull that it had on her, or the weight that it made her feel. For some indescribable reason she felt vaguely responsible for his well-being, if not curious as to what was troubling him, and decided to intensify their connection.

In but a moment, she was pulled from her own surroundings and thrust into his general vicinity. Though she couldn't make out exactly where he was, she could see a scarce few objects that surrounded and enveloped him, and knew well enough that he was lying down, fast asleep, presumably in his own quarters.

A quiet gasp escaped her lips, and she brought a quick hand to her mouth to silence herself.

The last thing that she wanted was for him to wake up, given that he'd more than likely contacted her unconsciously, and she doubted that he actually wanted to see her. Especially given his current state of appearance. For he wasn't clothed like he usually was, but his torso was bare and exposed, as the blanket on top of him covered only that of his waist and below, and it unnerved her to see him looking so vulnerable and susceptible to harm.

At once she turned away from the sight and closed her eyes, hoping to finally sever their connection and be returned to her current location. Only to have no such luck.

It was strange, really; though she was never really in control of initiating such sessions of their bond, she seemed to always be able to end them if she desired, and it made no sense that she wasn't able to now. Perhaps somehow, subconsciously, she truly didn't want to leave him, and therefore couldn't. But she didn't knowingly feel an eagerness to stay put.

Standing there, watching him, she felt uneasy. It was hard to explain, but she felt like she was intruding on a terribly personal moment in his life, and was too bemused by his appearance to be considerate of it. Granted, he had intruded on a few private moments of her own without her consent, but then again she had never brought it to his attention, or voiced her discomfort.

The last vision she'd had of him lying down beside her on her cot danced in her head, and she had to force herself to eradicate it from her mind. He had shown concern for her then, and had even supplied her with comfort, much to her surprise. But she was so caught off guard by the divulging of his chivalry, and the fact that he had more emotions than just anger and indifference, that she hadn't known the correct way to respond.

She had called him a monster before, and she'd thought she had meant it.

But seeing the young man now, lying before her on a bed much more comfortable-looking than her own, it seemed that she was mistaken.

He didn't look weathered or conflicted. He looked youthful and at peace.

Stepping closer to his form, purely out of curiosity, she reached out a cautious hand, and touched his forehead.

Immediately she felt a calming warmth surge through her being, and an electricity that she couldn't even begin to describe starting to flicker throughout her fingertips.

What was this?

She could only wonder.