Her dreams moved fast.
So fast in fact, that even asleep, she began to feel dizzy.
Intense, yellow eyes flashed through her mind, studying her movements, smirking at her thoughts and desires...
She tried so hard to get by, to move past the judgmental, beady eyes that watched her from a far. No matter which way she turned, no matter how fast she truly moved, it was never enough.
Eventually she was caught, a strong, firm hand sliding around her throat, making her heartbeat quicken it's already too-fast paced.
Her own eyes widened as she looked upon the dark figure that caught her, dressed in black robes and the sunken purple colors surrounding those yellow eyes...
She was being hunted...It only just dawned on her...
And now she was caught.
( x )
With a jolt, Rey woke up still curled into a ball on the opposite side of the prison cell where Ben lay, studying the ceiling. It took Rey a few blinks and a hard gulp to shake her thoughts of the odd dream, that felt too much like reality.
Inhaling sharply, Rey sat up and rolled her neck around to ease her aches as she felt Ben's force slowly prod her, a tentative hand asking for permission to seek her thoughts.
The notion made her chuckle.
"Thank you for not intruding..."
From the corner of her eye, Rey saw him glance to her, his head pillowed on his arms as he lay on his back. His black hair sat messy around his head, and Rey was just about to lay back down to play with a lock of it before realizing how late it had gotten.
"Can't say I didn't try... Your block was up while you slept." Ben told her with his tone low but curious.
That fact made Rey's ears perk up, slightly surprised though thankful at her block. The dream, however, still plagued her mind, the image of seeing that pale creature with those eyes that were always followed by the harshest stories back home...
She hated it.
"I'm fine. Really." Rey tried to cover up, turning to meet his eyes and giving him a small smile of reassurance.
Ben sat up with ease, his eyes scanning her features, accusations already filling his tongue though he never spoke to her verbally.
Glancing away from guilt, Rey gathered her pillow and shoved it through the bars to him, in case he required extra comfort.
His eyes never left her face as she moved, and before she got to her feet, Rey reached a small, fragile hand towards his face, cupping his cheek and savoring his warmth.
"Everything is fine. Truly, it was only a dream. It was almost like the times in the cave, back on Ach-To... The force was just so... vivid."
Ben showed little relief, though his eyes did seem to shave a layer of the intense worry he previously showed.
Rey cast a quick glance to the doorway, relieved to see it still empty. With a sigh, she stood back to her full height, stretching her limbs as she began to feel bad for leaving Ben by himself.
Ben rose, silently watching her and dreading the fact that she had to leave. He hated to feel so ... clingy. The word itself left a bad taste in his mouth as he rolled his eyes.
Easily feeling his embarrassment and a small sense of overwhelming anxiety, Rey's thumb moved to brush his cheek in comfort.
"You'll still feel me through the bond. I'll be checking on you. I just need to see what our next step is."
With a clenched jaw, Ben nodded, still silent even when he watched her go.
( x )
The base was extremely quiet when everyone slept. It almost made Rey more comfortable as she made her way back to her bunk, aware that any sound would raise alarm be it from her or something else.
The day's events began to weigh on Rey's shoulders, her legs becoming sluggish as she walked, eyelids heavy with the ache for sleep.
Even through the tiredness though, she felt accomplished and satisfied.
Ben was home, and so was she.
( x )
It was only a few hours later by the time the rest of the base woke up, scurrying off to make preparations for the closing of this war. Determination filled the air, so much so that Rey began to feel overwhelmed with their thoughts and high emotions.
Every person here was desperate for this end, just as much as he was.
Sleep did not come easy for her the rest of the night after leaving Ben's side, and a part of her regrets leaving in the first place.
But, for the comfort of the base, she decided to leave, only to toss and turn in her own bunk for hours before getting up to grab some caff and a biscuit.
She was just about to grab another to sneak to Ben, when Rey felt a quick wave of urgency through the force that enarly made her drop her cup. Turning quickly, Rey nearly bumped into Rose, who was standing right behind her with a worried look on her face, hand raised mid air to tap Rey's shoulder.
"Rey!" Rose gasped, startled. "Sorry, I didn't mean to sneak up on you! But-"
"What is it?" Rey demanded, her mind already working the room to pinpoint what was going on. Behind Rose, several Resistance members were already getting up from their tables and moving to the conference room in a hurry.
"It's Hux, he's issuing a live warning across the stars."
Not needing to hear another word, Rey quickly moved past Rose and ran to their main headquarters.
( x )
He couldn't tell what he was more annoyed at.
A random fly continued buzzing around the room, occasionally stopping on the bars of the cell to add to Ben's annoyance before quickly flying away.
After Rey left, the previous guard returned to his stance near the entrance, his gaze still hazy from the mind trick Rey put him in the past night. Every now and then, Ben caught the man glancing around, his face full of confusion as the guard tried to make sense of the few events before he'd shake his thoughts away and get back to the task at hand; making sure Ben stayed put.
The constant babysitting was irritating to Ben, and even more so that Rey was nowhere to be seen. With a huff, Ben rolled his eyes as he stayed in place, laying on the cold ground still and his cuffed hands pillowing his head.
For a moment, his mind began to drift from the boredom and irritation onto the previous day's events.
He had expected to be immediately executed had he ever made the decision to join his mother's cause, not that he didn't deserve it... but he expected it for sure. The fact that he was still living and breathing surprised him only a little, knowing that Rey was the one that would protect him...
Which a fact, in itself, shocked him more.
He had never been one to depend on anybody, nor put his trust or life in anyone's hands... But she was his, and he was hers. No one knew him like she did, and no one knew her like he did.
Their bond only confirmed this, encouraged it even. They were destined to be the other's protector, and he knew deep down that she would never up and abandon these people... He felt it.
Every day in Naboo he felt her anxiousness grow, her determination only building by the minute. He had to act in the only way he knew how; Discreetly, and with power.
It was the truest lesson Snoke had ever taught him, to have a plan within the plan.
She would never agree with it, but his mother ruled in the same way.
At the thought of his mother, his body tensed harshly and he had to force himself to breathe steadily.
For a quick moment, he wondered what she thought of him being here. The nasty, dark side of him jabbed at his own mind, telling him that he was just another pawn in the game she created...
But in the back of his mind, he felt the resemblance of Rey's force signature iron the thought away back into the little bubble that resided within him, a dark, cold place that was beginning to get smaller and smaller by the day... though it never truly went away.
Checking his senses, Ben realized that Rey didn't reach out, and knew his own mind must have presented the ghost of her force, which in turn only astonished him more.
There was a very long time in his life where Snoke had the same power, used to mold him into a punishable being that did his master's bidding...
But now... The girl changed everything...
The scavenger from nowhere...
The corner of his mouth twitched with a smile at the thought, and with a sigh, his mind began to replay their moments alone.
His body ached for her, a sudden pulse that nearly drove him off the floor he lay on. He'd never been so attracted to anybody, or anything, before.
It was never to do with her strength, or her power with the force...
It was always her; Raw, honest, curious.
She was always just as eager to learn him the way he did her, and her aggressive curiosity lured him without fail every time, always ready to position him or urge him in any way, shape, or form. It was always to her liking, and by the way she would smile or gasp when he touched a sensitive spot... It was absolutely thrilling.
Rey was so responsive to everything, and he knew it was because she was so inexperienced, but her encouragement gave him all the confidence he needed when it came to pleasing her, which only satisfied him even more.
Slowly blinking, Ben felt his body heat at the memories of their first time, and how she had looked at both him and his shaft... Wide eyed, shocked... But curious...Even when her timid hand held him in her palm later that night, and only moments later she sat on her hands and knees, trembling as his own lips met her wet core.
And then his mind drifted to the night on Naboo, when she took him into her mouth... How her tongue lapped at him, tasted him, savored him...
With a dry throat, Ben licked at his lips, a hard gulp soon following.
He briefly wondered if she ever thought of those moments, of how they connected time after time, whether it be their first time together, or the nights on Naboo when she waited for his return, or when they made love in the moonlight, completely open in the front of their window...
Yes, he wondered if she thought of these times indeed, and another thought drifted by, a curious question posing in the form of a vision in his mind that ignited a roll of heat through him. Did she ever touch herself to the thought of him?
Though it happened more times, he remembered two occasions in particular where he had done such, before and after Snoke's death.
The day she had sneered at him, calling him a monster...He had taken himself in his hand during his shower, unable to resist the urge any longer with his member painfully hard. His mind played her features to him; long lashes, pink mouth, brown silky hair, and her eyes so powerful and stern... The thought of pleasuring himself to memories of her intrigued him too often, and he had done so well disobeying the taunts of satisfaction.
Though he tried his best, Snoke sought the memory out the following morning, and he received several lashes that his Master refused to allow him to force heal... He decided later that night, that it had been worth it.
And the second time was one that left him light headed, again in the shower as dirt, blood, and sweat rolled down his body only a day after their fight on Crait. His own body betrayed him, demanding attention and pleasure as he recalled the way they fought together.
Again, his lips threatened another smile, knowing their skills have only grown together now.
It was subtle, the way she always seemed to-
A sound down the hallway broke Ben from his heated thoughts, and he stilled as he focused on who was coming.
Realizing who it was, he quickly got to his feet, all signs of his previous state completely gone as he watched Poe Dameron swing around the corner.
Their eyes locked, each with a glare of distain and annoyance as Poe stepped closer, stopping just beyond the cell as Ben leaned against the bars.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't everyone's favorite flyboy." Ben teased in a low voice with a bored smirk plastered on his face.
"And if it isn't the galaxy's most hated murderer." Poe sneered back at Ben, eyeing with hatred in his gaze. "Looking pretty rough behind these bars, aren't we?"
Ben shrugged and answered without thinking. "Not sure, I'd say I slept pretty damn well."
Poe's eyes narrowed momentarily, confused for a moment. Before the pilot's mind could trek elsewhere, Ben added, "Why are you here?"
Stilling thinking about what Ben was implying, Poe took a few seconds before timidly replying. "Live broadcast from the First Order... Leia wants you to watch with us to pick up any clues..." Poe answered, before reaching to unlock the cell door.
Ben couldn't help but notice how Poe checked to make sure his cuffs were still in place, and the thought would have made him smirk, if he wasn't already thinking about what Hux could be planning.
Biting the inside of his cheek, Ben followed.
( x )
The room was completely full and silent, tons of members squeezing in to watch and hear as the new leader of the First Order took the stage, standing straight before he looked the monitor head on.
Leia, Rose, Finn, and R2-D2 stood front and center as they watched, soon followed by Chewie, Flora and BB-8. They crowded together, quietly and intensely watching on just as Poe shoved Ben into the room, still cuffed.
Fearing the tall man dressed in dark colors, the crowd moved to the side to give him room as he made his way to stand behind his mother, just as Rey got to the door opposite of them, the crowd too moving aside to make room for their new favored heroine.
Rey briskly walked to her friends, standing beside Ben, their eyes already on the monitor as Hux began to speak with a loud, aggressive tone.
"Civilians, traitors, residents – All people that walk throughout this galaxy. As your new leader, of not only the First Order, but of the new world we seek after this war, hear me now. We are coming to the end of this battle, and I ask that you choose your side now. Let it be a smart choice, and let your ears ring with the truth of my words; Any being that stands with the Resistance will be killed on sight, there will be no one taken in custody, nor will you have a time to answer for your crimes. Your death will be painful, and all whom stand at your own side will follow in the same manor. We will not make any exceptions to your wives, nor your children.
"With this said, claim your side with the First Order, and you will live the rest of your days without war, standing true to an order that stands for justice. Let your stance ring high, any silence will be taken as treachery and will be treated as such. As for the Resistance, you are in our line of sight, your downfall is only days away. If your members choose to turn away from your cause, we will offer a quick death. All those that choose to remain, will suffer by our hand."
Hux's faced lit up with a grin that sent chills through the air, just as something moved in the corner behind Hux; Stormtroopers meeting one another with crates, a similar logo on the front that reminded Rey of what she had seen on Naboo.
"With that said, choose carefully. And quickly."
The broadcast shut off, filling their screens with black and static as the room began to grow loud with worry.
Poe quickly moved to stand in the middle of everyone's view, trying to grab their attention and hush them at the same time. "Everyone, everyone! Now is not the time to panic, we have t-"
"He said only days! We aren't prepared!" A member called from the back of the room, shouting over everyone.
As the room went on, Leia leaned on her cane, glancing to the ground as she thought.
Ben shuffled from foot to foot behind her, before his own eyes cast down to Rey, who instead of worrying, had a confused look on her face, brows creasing and mouth slightly parted.
"What is it?" Ben asked.
At the question, Rey's friends turned to face her as her chest began to rise and drop, heat growing within her from anger and disbelief.
Leia turned now, watching the young girls face.
"Those crates...They were the same ones that Caleo had on Naboo. The ones with the power to stop our energy in the force..." Rey stated.
Flora and Poe shared a quick glance of concern before turning back to Rey.
"DJ knew all about them..." Rey said, continuing to talk as she thought.
"DJ, the master code breaker?" Rose asked, nodding to Finn.
"Yes... Did you notice where Hux was at? The location?" Rey asked Ben, turning to face him. Her friends did the same.
"It looked like Hocutt... We docked their occasionally." Ben recalled, and Rey was already nodding in agreement.
"Yes, it was Hocutt. When I met Han, he showed me Takodana for the first time, and he told me of a land where the skies were grey, and the grass was orange. In the far edge of the screen, that's where it looked like Hux was at."
For a moment, the group was quiet as the crowd behind them went on.
"I don't understand... What's that mean?" Finn shook his head frustratingly.
After a second, Rose's eyes widened. "That means-"
"Hocutt is three days away, but we have opposite time zones. If this were actually a live broadcast, it'd be dark as day there."
"A fake broadcast? But why?" Poe asked, dumbfounded.
"Because they're already here. They say it'll be days, but..." Leia guessed, before Rose finished.
"But they could already be in orbit...How?"
"We could have been followed... We overtook Naboo, we freed their people... There could have been a bad seed..." Poe assumed.
Leia shook her head before anyone else could interject. "It was the only way to get everyone out, anything else would have taken too long and could have compromised the entire plan." At the rise of her voice, the rest of the room grew steadily quiet, all eyes focused on their leader as they waited for word.
Ben felt his presence growing more out of place by the second, but watching as Rey's group of friends worked together to get to the point was both amusing and astonishing.
But Rey had figured it out, even before he did, and at this point, he couldn't be surprised anymore.
"The First Order is getting closer by the second. I want everyone ready by nightfall."
Both Rey and Ben felt a heavy surge of worry and fear spread through the air as Leia continued, sensing the panic herself. "We have fought this hard to get here, to the end. We will not give up. They are expecting a fight, and they have every right to because we have not given up, nor will we ever."
"We have to be ready. We will go with the original plan. I want half our pilot's in air, out of orbit. By the time the First Order gets closer, it'll be too late for them, they won't see us coming from above, or from behind. Poe, take lead and fuel up, Chewie and Flora I need you to organize ground control, get with Lando to orchestrate." The room quickly began to spread out, following their designated leaders as the others waited for their commands.
"Jessica, take the new recruits and show them the grounds, make sure everyone is aware of medical station locations. Rose, Finn, I need you both overseeing the arsenal, make sure everyone has something they can control, use your better judgment."
The rest of the room scurried off, some following Poe, others following Chewie and Flora, with Rose and Finn close behind. It was only shortly after when Leia turned to Rey and Ben.
"I'm sure you two can find a suitable job for yourselves..." Leia said in a hushed tone. Ben's brow quirked as both he and Rey watched as Leia's hand dove into her pocket and pulled out a key, reaching towards Ben's hands and uncuffed him, letting the mechanism fall to the ground.
Slowly, Leia's gaze moved from the floor and up to meet her son's eyes, taking care to study his features. He reminded her so much of Han. Ever since he was a baby, he always shared that with his father. Tall, dark, handsome, and always up to something.
The thought made her smile as her heart ached.
With a sigh, Leia shook her head and reach into the inside of her cloak, carefully grasping the weapon in her hand before pulling it out and looking down to it.
Rey, Ben, and Leia all looked to see her holding Ben's lightsaber, a weapon that once tormented her own people, and now, would hopefully help them.
With only a small hesitation, she held it out to him.
"Please... Just help us win this thing." She begged of him in a whisper, letting him gently take the lightsaber before she turned and left, R2-D2 and BB-8 following behind with a few encouraging beeps.
The room eventually cleared, leaving Ben and Rey alone.
Ben hadn't noticed the growing anxiety building within Rey until now, and it became the only thing he could focus on, the newly re-acquired lightsaber in his hand nearly forgotten.
"It'll be okay." He said with a nod.
His voice caused her to look up at him, and she bit her lip to keep the words from tumbling out. She didn't need to say anything though. He knew she was scared.
Clipping his lightsaber to his hip, he reached up to her face, gently catching her chin before brushing her cheek with the pad of his thumb, similar to what she did to him earlier.
He wished he could take away all of her worries, and he wanted to tell her that no one would be hurt doing this, that everyone would make it out okay...But he couldn't. He wouldn't lie...Not to her.
The energy around them was hazy with frenetic static that almost fogged his own mind...
She was thinking too much, and too negatively.
"Rey." He called to steady her. In a rush, he let his force signature embrace her, grasping at every corner in order to calm her, to let her know that she's okay and that she isn't alone. Ben watched her eyes drift close, accepting every bit of comfort he was providing.
She hated to seem so weak...
But she couldn't help it. The time that they were preparing for was finally here, a judgment for both sides to answer to, and all she wanted was to protect the ones she had grown to love so much, and that included Ben and his mother.
Taking a step closer to her, Ben held her face in both hands, leaning down to meet her eyes dead on, and she moved her hands over his, finding more comfort in his warmth, a reminder that he was actually here with her.
Slowly, she settled down.
"I am going to help you, Rey. I'm going to help you save them..."
His words meant more to her than anything else had, knowing how hard it must have been to say out loud, knowing that he would never come close to lying to her.
Holding back tears that threatened to spill, Rey closed her eyes and gave a small, short nod before moving to kiss him, every moment seen by Leia who watched from the side entrance, having answered a silent call to come back and realizing why that was now, warmth spreading through the old woman's heart before she turned to take her leave.
( x )
Night came far too soon.
But they had truly come together, and made it a solid plan...
Hux wouldn't fail falling into it, every time.
Old and new faces all gathered around outside, heads turned up towards the sky as they waited for the arrival of their enemies.
Rey glanced around to each of them as she went to join Ben at the forefront of the field, all eyes on her.
She met Ben's gaze for a moment, and the pair stood there in the night, the moon lighting the way towards the forest beyond them, small fires set here and there beyond the reach.
Leia watched from the top floor of their bunker, marveling at the power couple that seemed to be speaking to each other's minds.
'I love you Ben, with everything I have.' Rey thought to him.
Without any hesitation, her bonded answered her as he gazed lovingly at her, but his body gearing into a fighting stance.
'Even in death, my heart is yours.'
In only a heartbeat after his words spoke to her mind, the grand ship belonging to the First Order burst into sight, settling in its place after hyper speed before its smaller ships followed.
In synch, Ben and Rey's lightsabers blared to life, eager for the fight.
And just as their sabers raged on, so did the force.
( X )
Author's Notes:
Guys.
There are not enough words to use in my apology for keeping you all waiting. I'm terribly sorry. I absolutely hate it when story's are just left with no explanation, and it was not my intentions at all.
I was in a major funk that I won't even get in to, but I am crawling back out of it and am committing to closing out this story before Thanksgiving, hopefully sooner than that.
Thank you all for continuing to read this story and still leaving comments or messaging me to check in. I love you all endlessly, and I hope you like the last few chapters of Steady On.
BTW:
That last trailer = Me, dead.
Again, thank you all, and I love you.