Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter one of "Not So Far." I can't believe I got a review for the prologue. I didn't think that would happen, but I'm happy it did. I want to thank the reader who reviewed. As for other readers, don't hesitate to review. I'd love to hear your ideas for this fic. Anyway, this chapter introduces Ben and Rey. There is some Ben/Rey as well. Stay tuned for chapter two.

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Chapter 1: Waking Up

The midmorning sun beamed its rays on a stretch of beach in Tihon's northern hemisphere. That part of the planet was covered mostly in beaches and rainforests. Mangrove forests were here and there. The southern hemisphere contained many islands divided by long stretches of ocean. The north and south poles were very tropical.

Marcus walked along the beach while swiveling his ears and growling softly. He moved his tail from side to side. He happened to be large. In fact, he was larger than most Tihon tigers. His fur was golden yellow on top and white below. His body was mostly covered in black stripes. The tips of his ears were a mixture of white and black. So was the tip of his tail. The middle of his tail had a kink in it.

Marcus saw Ben and Rey's hut coming into view. He stopped in his tracks, a soft growl leaving his mouth. The hut was rather large and set a bit off the ground. Two loft areas could be seen. The first one's flaps were open in front and on the side. A slide made of huge leaves went to the front porch. A trail of rocks that led into the water was a short distance from the hut. It was nestled in between trees.

Marcus made his way up the stairs and walked into the hut carefully. He stopped in the middle of it while licking his lips and twitching his ears. The interior was rather large. A large bed happened close to the doorway on his right. A nightstand was near it. A mirror hung close to it. A round table containing four matching chairs was in front of the window. A pot hung over a fire pit. Ladders led up to the lofts that contained small beds. A bookcase was to the left of him. It had books and journals. A chest was in front of it. It happened to be filled with clothes. Two lightsabers hung on pegs above it, as did a string of fish.

Marcus focused his attention on Ben and Rey, whom were asleep in the bed. The former lay on his side while latter was on her back. He had his arm around her. The blanket covered their bodies from the chest down. He was wearing just a loincloth made of vines and leaves. She donned a white sleeveless nightgown. Her baby bump was visible through it. It was smaller than most bumps were.

Marcus went to Ben's side of the bed. He let out a quiet yet mischievous growl. He grabbed the top of the blanket with his mouth. He pulled it down while backing away slowly. Ben stirred and opened his eyes. Rey mimicked both of his actions. They looked toward Marcus, who had nearly pulled the cover off. He released his hold on it as they pushed themselves into sitting positions.

"Marcus, you mischievous monster!" Ben scolded in a playful voice.

"How dare you wake us up from a deep sleep!" Rey added as she shook her finger at the tiger. "You deserve to be punished."

He nodded sharply. "Yes, you do."

Marcus let out a soft growl and approached Ben, who scratched him behind his ears. He purred in much pleasure before opening his mouth somewhat. Ben patted him on top of his head.

"I know today is the day we go hunting together. Are you excited for that?" Ben asked. He smiled when Marcus growled happily. "I thought so."

"It's amazing to have a wild tiger for a friend," Rey said, warmth echoing from her voice.

"As well as a hunting partner," Ben added. "He was just a year old when I first encountered him. His eyes were filled with horror. I sensed he had witnessed his mother being killed by a rogue male. He had managed to survive by scavenging for food. I got the idea of him driving animals toward me, so I could kill them with a spear. My spear was either handmade or my lightsaber. As a reward for a successful hunt, I would give him a part of it to eat. He will hunt on his own too."

"I participated in those hunts occasionally. That is until recently," Rey said and looked down at her stomach. She laid her hands on it. "My baby bump may not be very big, but it is still a challenge carrying this baby."

"Mom looked like she was carrying a watermelon under her shirt by the time she was in the last month of her pregnancy with me," Ben said.

"Maybe we should go to a world where watermelons are plentiful, so I can carry one under my shirt," Rey joked with a snicker. "After I have this baby, that is."

"I will on one condition," Ben commented, a smile forming on his face.

"What's that?" Rey wondered.

"You have to carry a watermelon on your head too," Ben said, a snicker coming from him.

"No, thank you," Rey said, shaking her head rapidly.

"Oh, come on!" Ben whined and faked crying.

"Turn off the waterworks," Rey said while shaking her finger at him. She narrowed her eyes at him. "I am not changing my mind."

Ben chuckled while slipping his arm around his wife. He hugged her tightly before giving her temple two kisses. He rubbed her arm so lightly that it seemed he wasn't even touching it.

"I am so lucky I found you, Rey," he whispered lovingly. "I can't imagine life without you at all."

"I feel the same both ways," she said, taking her hand into his. She gave it a very gentle squeeze before swallowing hard. "I thought I was going to grow old and die on that dust ball." She emitted a soft shudder. "All that changed when I saw you in the downed walker that I had turned into my home."

"It was so freaky seeing you in that chair at first. I really wanted to ignore you, but the Force told me not to. We began talking and got to know each other. I remembered Luke telling me about Force dyads and how extremely rare they were. I realized we had formed such a bond. I knew I couldn't let you fall into Snoke's hands, so I came and got you," Ben explained in a soft voice.

"Unkar was not happy when he saw you were taking me away," Rey responded with a scoff. "You scared him with your lightsaber."

"I would not be surprised if he pissed his pants when he saw it," Ben said, snickering under his breath.

Rey giggled. "I would've loved to have seen that. He may have taken care of me when I was a child, but he didn't treat me right often."

Ben ran his hand over her hair. "You got to taste real food for the first time, including fish and fruit."

Rey couldn't help but smile. She wasn't fond of the foodstuff she ate while living on Jakku. She found it to be tasteless often. At the same time, it was all that was available. When she tried fruit for the first time, she was amazed at how sweet it was. She admitted she preferred it over foodstuff. She felt the baby move and laughed in delight.

"Ben, feel this," Rey said, taking her husband's hand and laying it on her stomach. They gasped when the baby kicked. She giggled in a soft manner. "What a dropkick, huh?"

"For sure!" Ben agreed and kissed her cheek. He pulled his hand away from her stomach and rubbed an area above the spot. "We are definitely not alone at all."

"Nope," Rey murmured with a big smile on her face. They eyed Marcus, who growled in annoyance. "No, we are not leaving you out."

"That's right," Ben commented in a gentle voice. He let out a long exhale before running his tongue all over the inside of his mouth. "Anyway, I can sense the baby is very strong in the Force."

"I can too," Rey agreed and shuddered to herself. "It feels like the same raw and untamed power that we had. There is a potential for both great good and great evil."

"I would like to train our child to be a Jedi," Ben said in a low but firm voice. "It needs to learn to harness its power."

"I would like to help you," Rey pointed out matter-of-factly.

"Of course," Ben said, nodding slowly. "I would never leave my wife out of anything regarding our child. I will leave the diaper-changing to you, though."

She laughed sarcastically. "Very funny."

"I remember how quickly you progressed in your Jedi training. Not even my grandfather progressed at that rate," Ben whispered, blowing hard.

"I still see myself as a padawan," Rey answered and cleared her throat. She rubbed it in a light manner. "I won't be getting back to training until three months after I give birth. I remembered when you took me to Dagobah, so I could enter the Dark Side Cave."

"I considered it a very important test," Ben said while scratching his nose. "My uncle failed in his test during his training with Yoda. I didn't want you to fail, but I was prepared you might."

"I went inside and encountered a vision of Vari. I had never seen her in person, but you described what she looked like to me. She told me not to be afraid of the dark side. She demanded that I embrace it and said darkness was in each and every one of us. I declared I never would join the dark side. Then she disappeared. I went outside. You told me I had passed the test," Rey explained.

He inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. "I was so proud of you."

Ben and Rey shared three kisses and rubbed noses. Marcus growled impatiently, causing them to look at him. He tilted his head, his tail swinging from side to side.

"Okay, Marcus. We will have breakfast. Then we will go on our hunt," Ben said annoyingly. He mumbled inaudible words as he rolled his eyes. "Damn. You are impatient."

"Then let's get to fixing breakfast," Rey said as he released his hold on her. They got out of the bed and proceeded to stretch.