Author's Note: This chapter is more of a battle of wills and defining their relationship. I switch between calling him Ben and Kylo because she thinks of him as Ben, but sees him as Kylo. Hopefully that makes sense. Inner thoughts in italics.

Chapter 7 - Make me see

When Rey woke up, she found herself in her own room. It took her a moment to get her bearings. Her sheets felt rough against her skin, and the warmth she had felt from Ben's body was gone. She really didn't like waking up without him. Just then, she heard a gentle knock on her door.

"Hey Rey, are you awake?" Poe called out.

She grumbled loudly. "I am now."

"Are you decent?" he asked. "Can I come in?"

"You can come in," she replied. "I'm still in bed."

She made sure her naked legs were still covered before he entered. He closed the door behind him.

"We didn't get a chance to talk after dinner last night," he said as he sat down on the edge of her bed. "So, what happened with you and Kylo Ren?"

Rey stiffened. "What do you mean?"

He couldn't possibly know that I shared a bed with Ben last night.

"The mess hall? The exploding glass?" Poe stated. "You said you would meditate on it and find out."

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "I did... It wasn't clear... I don't know what happened." She hoped her lie was convincing enough. There was no way she would tell him that she was the real cause of the 'disturbance in the force.'

"Damn! I guess we'll have to find another way," Poe responded. "How about meeting us for breakfast to discuss things further?" He lingered a little longer than necessary, then proceeded to touch the blanket under which her legs were hidden. "I don't know much about this force stuff, but you can talk to me about it. I'd love a chance to learn more."

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Is he making a move on me? "I'm still learning about it myself," she replied.

He tilted his head. "Well, maybe I could help you," he responded. "We could figure it out together."

There was no doubting it now; he was suggesting something more. She didn't think before responding. "What do you mean, together?" Her muscles were tensing up.

Why is this happening?

She was doing her best to not reach out to Ben. How would he feel knowing that Poe was sitting on her bed in her room, alone, propositioning her?

"You know." He pointed between the two of them. "You and me?"

She needed to shut this down. "You know that's not possible," she stated firmly. "I need to do this alone."

He grabbed her hand and Rey felt that familiar tug that signaled a connection with Ben.

Poe continued speaking. "You don't need to do this alone." She glanced at Kylo briefly before looking back at Poe's hopeful face.

Rey's heart felt like it was about to beat out of her chest. "What I mean to say... is... you can't help me." She shook her head.

Poe gripped her tighter. "I can't help you... or you won't let me?"

"I can't do this with you, Poe." She yanked her hand away. "I think you should go."

Kylo was watching the whole scene and remaining as calm as possible. He knew she had pulled him into something, but Rey seemed to be handling it herself.

"What's going on with you?" Poe sighed in frustration. "I try to get close to you... and you pull away. Is there something you're not telling me?" he growled.

"Yes, there is," she confidently replied.

Kylo froze with her answer and continued to remain silent. He was trying to concentrate on her words and ignore the pounding of his heart. Rey peaked at him again briefly before looking down.

"Tell me," Poe demanded.

"Poe, I'm seeing someone." Rey was staring down at her hands as she spoke. She took a deep breath.

"Literally," Kylo offered. Rey tried to hold back the smirk that was threatening to take hold.

"For how long?" Poe tried to smoothly probe, but his pitch was higher than normal.

"A while," she confirmed. She looked up at Poe and more confidence washed over her with each word she spoke. "It's been going on for quite a while."

"Do I know him?" Poe gently spoke. "Is he... on the base?"

"I don't really want to get into it with you, but if you must know..." She shook her head and then continued... "He's not on the base presently, but I know he wouldn't like the idea of us being alone in my room right now."

"Damn straight I don't," Kylo huffed.

"Is he out on a mission, right now?" Poe rubbed his chin. "That certainly narrows down the suspects. At least I know it's not Finn," he said.

"Finn? No, not Finn!" Rey shook her head in surprise.

"It sounds serious," Poe offered.

"It is," she revealed. "I think I'm in love with him." She held eye contact with Poe while watching Kylo in her periphery.

"What do you mean you think?" Poe shrugged. "Shouldn't you know?"

She exhaled. "It's all really complicated right now."

"Does he know how you feel about him? " Poe calmly replied.

Kylo nodded in the background.

"He does. I think he feels the same way about me." She allowed a small smile to creep onto her face.

Poe smirked too. "You haven't asked him?"

She laughed. "How do you bring up a conversation like that?"

"Yeah, you're right." Poe nodded. "Talking about how you feel isn't easy." He sat up straighter and gestured towards the door. "Would you like me to talk to him? "

"No! I don't want anyone to know." She shook her head again. "Can you promise me that this will remain a secret, between us?" She smiled sweetly at him.

"Say no more." Poe stood up. "I hope he knows he's a lucky guy."

"I know," Kylo interjected.

Rey's eyelashes fluttered and relief washed over her. "He knows," she responded.

"Good. I'll kick his ass if he hurts you." Poe sounded serious despite his jesting demeanor.

Rey shook her head. "That's not necessary. I'll kick it myself," she laughed.

"True. You already have," Kylo smirked and raised an eyebrow.

"Poe chuckled. "I'll see you at breakfast," he said before swiftly leaving Rey's room.

Kylo cleared his throat. "Do you mean what you said?"

"Every word... Now, if you don't mind, I need to get changed." She threw the blanket off and went over to her clothes in the cupboard. He shadowed her movements.

"I think we should talk about this," he pleaded.

"I think you should leave before I start getting naked," she responded.

"Come on, Rey," Kylo pleaded. "We can't ignore this."

"Fine, suit yourself," she said as she tugged her tunic over her head, exposing her naked back and leaving her standing in only her underwear.

His Adam's apple bobbed. His eyes took in the newly exposed flesh briefly before flicking to her expression. She was peering over her shoulder at him. "I'm not leaving. You pretty much admitted you're in love with me," he stated.

"I said that I think I am," she replied. She turned back to the drawer and found a stretchy bra, slipping it over her head and then twisted around towards him.

He kept his eyes on her face. "What do you mean you think? You either are, or you aren't."

"I don't know what love is. I think I do, but I'm not really sure," she explained. "I've been alone most of my life, no friends, no family, and now I have you." She pulled on a fresh tunic that barely covered her. "What about you? How do you feel about me?" She slipped her fingers into her underwear and slid them down, fetching a new pair out of a drawer.

Kylo groaned. "Do you know how distracting it is that you're getting changed in front of me?"

She shrugged. "All the good bits are covered." She furrowed her brow. "You didn't answer my question."

"How can I?" he replied. "Your standing in front of me without any underwear on."

"You can't see anything." She poked a finger into his exposed chest with the hand that was clutching the fresh pair of underwear. "I'm guessing you're not wearing anything under your pants."

Kylo glared. "That's different and you know it."

"Is it?" she responded.

"I know what you're doing," Kylo said, training his eyes away from her as she bent down to put on her underwear.

She slid them up her legs slowly, and he bit his lip, finally allowing his eyes to look down as he heard the snap of the underwear against her skin under her tunic.

"And what am I doing?" she retorted.

"Distracting me," he confirmed.

"I didn't know I was such a distraction," she replied innocently.

"Yes, you do," he breathed.

"Perhaps, I do." She tilted her head. "How much of a distraction will I be, when we're living under the same roof?"

He smirked. "When?"

She pulled on a pair of ¾ trousers. "If and when are the same thing."

"No, it's not," he chuckled. He observed the tan ensemble that she was wearing. "When we're living together I will enjoy seeing you in black. Have you ever considered adding it to your wardrobe?"

She frowned. "You already know supplies are low. I can't spend any money we do have on new clothes."

"I could send you some," he offered.

"And that's not going to look suspicious. We come across a shipment and a bunch of garments, just so happen to be in my exact size." She rolled her eyes.

"I could include a variety of sizes to cover our tracks. I think you would look incredible in some black attire. I'll even have the First Order logo left off... Just for you."

"Fine. This shipment needs to include a decent toolkit." She waved her hand around. "I don't mind fashioning my own tools, but it would be nice to use something that isn't older than you." She pointed towards him.

He nodded. "Tools got it." He smirked again. "Anything else?"

He watched as she walked around the room listed things off while counting off her fingers. "Alright! I need medical supplies...particularly... bacta patches. I have a couple of cuts that are still struggling to heal and a burn that is still a little tender too."

He nodded in response. "I did notice your growing collection." He pointed at each mark as he spoke. "The wound on your right shoulder still hadn't healed after a month... The burn on your right upper thigh, I'm guessing carries an interesting story, as well as the cut on the back of your left leg."

She glared at him playfully. "I knew you were checking me out, despite trying to appear like a gentleman, who was keeping his eyes averted."

Kylo huffed. "I was being a gentleman. I didn't attempt to touch you at all last night... even though I could have."

"Oh, the whole look, but don't touch thing." She placed her hands on her hips. "We might need to put that into place during our training."

"What about outside of training?" He raised his eyebrows.

"We shall see," she smirked. "Now as I already mentioned earlier, we need food. We're going to need a lot of it. The number of recruits that have been pouring in of late has been crazy."

"How many recruits, would you say?" He was curious for the food estimation only.

"I don't know... A couple of hundred. I've been keeping my distance, to be honest. They mostly whisper and stare when I walk around the base," she shivered. "It can be quite unnerving."

"That happens to me too," he submitted.

"You're the Emperor. Your height and the fact you're the most feared man in the galaxy wouldn't help either."

"You're the one to talk. The legendary Last Jedi. The beautiful woman, who single handily saved the Resistance. How could they not notice you?"

She bit her lip. "We're quite the pair, aren't we Mr Solo?"

"Definitely... so... how will we define our pairing? You've already said that you won't be my Empress. I'm not your Master and you're not my Apprentice. What will it be then? Will you be my lover, my partner or my wife?" He placed emphasis on each option.

"You're skipping ahead again... How about partners?" She confidently declared. "Let's see how that goes first. But I would like to use the Solo name... if that's alright with you." She stated the last part as an afterthought.

He raised his eyebrows again. "That normally happens after we're married." He shook his head. "Not before."

"I'm getting sick of being called Rey of Jakku," she whined. "I want a last name too and maybe I could leave that ghastly planet behind," she signed. "Besides, you're not using it. So why can't I? Nobody will know that I got it from you. I could say it's a tribute to your parents."

He rolled his eyes. "The public would love that. Rey Solo, the Last Jedi of the Resistance," he stated sarcastically.

"It wouldn't be much different if I became the face for your organisation." She pointed towards him. "Rey Solo, Empress of the First Order," she quipped.

The difference would be the title of Mrs at the beginning," he countered.

"So that's the problem, isn't it? Not my use of the name... but people knowing where I got it from."

"Rey, you can be a Solo," he offered. "I would love for you to take on my family name. I would just prefer for it to be done legally first."

"If it makes you feel better - I'll marry you," she said as a matter of fact.

"What?" he gasped.

"I'm already bound to you by the force," she shrugged. "Why not in holy matrimony? It's mostly just a piece of paper anyway."

"No, no, no. It's much more than that. You would be agreeing to be my wife - my family. That's what you would be signing up for," he explained. "It wouldn't just be taking on my name, you would be deciding to join the Skywalker legacy." He paused. "Do you really think you're ready for that?"

"Are you?" she responded. "When you asked me to join you, wasn't that what you wanted me to take on? You wanted me to be your Empress and your wife? Are you trying to make me afraid, hoping that I rescind my agreement?" She placed her hands on her hips. "That's not going to happen. You want a wife - I'll give you a wife. If you've changed your mind, just say so."

He wasn't backing down. "Name the time and the place and I'll be there." He stood up to his full height.

She stepped forward towards him. "Naboo. 4 days," she countered.

He snorted. "Oh, sweetheart that's very precise. What a coincidence that you select the exact same day, I'll be in that very location."

She tilted her chin up towards him. "I just want to see if you'll weasel your way out of it."

"Weasel my way out of it?" He scoffed and leaned down closer to her. "How do I know you would even turn up? You would probably leave me standing at the altar looking like a fool." He pointed to his chest. "You're the one that keeps leaving me." He brought his lips closer to hers. "Not the other way around," he breathed.

"There it is, folks," she said as she shoved past him. "There's the cold hard truth." She threw her hands in the air. "You don't trust me!" she exclaimed and began pacing around. "How could I marry someone that doesn't even trust me?"

He looked at her with surprise. "Rey, it's not like that."

Tears were welling in her eyes. "I gave you my heart. I'm betraying the Resistance secrets for you." Her breath caught in her throat. "Did you ever stop to think that I want to be your family?" Tears began falling down her face.

He was watching her carefully. "What are you saying?"

"I have spent every single day since that throne room obsessing about your proposal, wondering if you just wanted my power, or if you wanted me." She pointed at herself. "I have regretted that moment ever since our escape from Crait. I look at all the happy couples around me, wondering why I didn't take your hand." She shrugged. "Why did I follow my head and not my heart?" She clasped her hands over her chest. "Why did I let my fear of making that choice lead me to only suffering?" She released a shuddered breath.

"Rey, of course I want you," he said as he stepped forward, closing the gap between them. "I've wanted you since before I even saw you, and when I saw you, I felt like I could hope again, like I could finally breathe." He cupped the edge of her face and continued, "If you want this for real, then I'm all in. I would be honored to call you my family." He beamed and added, "Whatever you want, whether it's a secret or not, I don't care. Whether you become an Empress or not, it doesn't matter - I just want you."

She closed her eyes.

"Please look at me." He wiped the tears away with his thumbs, she opened her eyes and met his intense gaze. "I love you," he breathed.

Her voice broke. "No one has ever said that to me before."

"Well get used to it, because I do. I. Love. You."

Before she could respond, he brought his lips possessively to hers. He allowed his tongue to flick over the edge of her bottom lip and she opened her mouth wider to let him in. Their tongues gently slid across each other, exploring the others mouth. The sensation lasting long enough for them to need to break apart, to get some air.

His hands had fallen from her jaw to wrap around her shoulders to embrace her firmly, as they caught their breath.

It wasn't long until Rey spoke softly. "What happens now?" She mumbled into his chest.

"Now, we're going to figure this all out together." He kept holding her tightly.

"Together," she agreed.

He loosened his grip on her and looked down. "I want you to take my name, effective immediately," he declared. He rubbed the sides of her arms. "Nothing about our relationship has been traditional. Why should we start now? I like the idea of you honoring my parents," he said.

She nodded. "Our marriage?"

"We can postpone that discussion for later. I will eventually be your husband. I promise you that, but I won't pressure you into anything else. You'll be my Queen... even if the galaxy has no idea," he chuckled. "Let's just focus on your training and getting you your supplies."

He rubbed the side of her arms again. "You go to breakfast while I organise the shipment. Everything will be prepared before our training session tonight. If you need me before then, you know how to find me." He planted a chaste kiss on her lips; it was a simple and sweet gesture. "Have a good day, Rey Solo." He smiled down at her and ended the bond.

Rey sighed and shook her head. She had already decided to become his Empress. The only thing left to resolve was when she would claim her throne.