~*~

Ben

   He lowered her down to her feet when he stepped on the stony shore. A swift yet cold wind bit at his skin, and his thought went straight to the soaked pants he wore that were going to keep the cold in his bones for a long time. But it was nothing compared to the tremors that racked Rey's body in his arms. The dress she wore was far too thin, plastered to her frail form. And drops of water fell from it and trickled dowh her legs.

   "You should dress up. Quickly." he whispered before he rubbed some warmth in her arms once more. "I'll grant you privacy." and went over their clothes and gathered hers, and handed them.

   "Thank you." her teeth clattered in return, before he turned around and walked away and pulled the wet linnen shirt over his head, retrieving his leather tunic from the ground.

    ~Rey~
   Her hand went to the silken sleeve of her dress and made to pull it off. But the presence of Ben there was the reason that stopped her. She knew she wanted certain things. Yet just the fact that he could turn around, all of a sudden, and take a glimpse at her exposed body scared her.

   She watched as he pulled the white linen tunic he had been wearing in the water over his head. She took notice of the scars that formed a map on his ribs, on his shoulders, she watched how slim he was now, compared to the last time she had seen him.

   I thought you were cold, sweetheart, Ben's comment through the bond snapped her thoughts to reality.

   Yes, indeed.

   But she couldn't feel the cold anymore. She was blushing fiercely now, as she struggled to recompose herself.

   She was ready to let that sleeve fall from her shoulder, when he straightened his back, the leather tunic in his hands. A breath hitched in her throat, and she pulled the cloth back.
  
   I'm not looking, he told her again, through the bond. And after that, the same question he always asked her followed. Do you trust me, Rey?

   And again, her answer was, Yes.

   She knew it then, when she let the soaked dress slid down from her body. And for a moment she expected him to turn around, too stunned to bend down and take her dry clothes. Her heart was drumming against her ribs, almost running out of her chest, and her eyes followed his every movement, the way the wind ruffled his hair. And to make sure she wasn't wrong, she probed his mind, slightly. But there was no intent in him, as he stood there, waiting for her to dress first, a gesture of trust.

   She heaved a breath of relief, and her hands fumbled at her pants, pulling them up. Then she went for the straps she always wore around her chest, before she put on the white tunic. The last thing was the belt with the pouch strapped to it, which she quickly buckled around her waist.

   After pulling up her boots she approached Ben, and she couldn't quite ignore the thought that was nagging at her mind. What if he would have turned around and seen her? What would she have done? Did she want it so bad, she couldn't stop thinking about it?

   But he greeted her with a smile.

   "Better?" he asked after he put on his loose-sleeved tunic.

   "Yes." and her eyes fell to the belt in his hands. "Let me help you with this." She took it eagerly and fastened and buckled it around his waist.

   "Rey, you should take the cloak." but she placed a hand on his arm as he made to wrap it around her shoulders.

   "No, you have it. I have you."

   And she helped him again, clasping it to his tunic. His hair brushed against her deft hands, her fingers grazed the skin of his neck. When she was done, she leaned back to meet his gaze, his eyes that have been watching her intently all the time, almost bewildered.

   He seemed frozen in time, until he remembered why she had given him the cloak, and what was his part of the deed. A part she knew he would enjoy.

   He reached out and touched her shoulder, at first hesitantly. And Rey know what it was; the same thing she felt when he looked at her, the same thing she had felt when she had changed her garments, with him so close. But she came to help, leaning into him, and he wrapped an arm around her. His hand was slightly trembling as it softly stroked her shoulder.

   "Thank you. For the cloak."

   He tilted his head down to drop a kiss on her brow. His lips quivered as well as they rested against her skin, and she wanted to kiss him in return. In fact, she longed to feel his lips against hers.

   Rey leaned her head back on his shoulder, and her eyes met his. Hazel ones melt in dark brown, as she tilted her nose up to brush against his. His arms tightened in an embrace around her, and her fingers tentatively reached up to touch his smooth cheek. They hovered above his skin for a time, before softly landing on his lips.
   She felt the shiver run through him as soon as she did that, and realized how unprepared and scared he was, in fact. Her hand slowly parted from his skin, and began to fall down, when he grabbed it and drove it back to his lips.

   Now it was her time to be surprised, as he began to kiss her fingers, her knuckles, softly at first, then harder and passionate.
   Her hand was numb, and her heart was overjoyed. And she would have crumpled down on her knees, had he not been holding her tight against him.

   In spite of the cold breeze the water brought along, her skin was a shield against it. And she had to bury her face in the crook of his neck to stifle her sighs. But accidentally her lips parted against his skin, right beneath his ear, and he must have perceived it as a kiss, for she could feel him stop.

   "Sorry." She blurted out, and could feel the blood rush up in her cheeks, afraid that the heat in her skin against his would give her in.

   On the other hand, she liked it.

   What have you done to me? She wondered.

   And for a moment they weren't two jedi thrust into an inevitable quest, in front of an inevitable death. They were just a young man and a young woman, trying to understand what was going on in their lives.

   His mouth opened and closed. But like her, the intensity of the moment was too great to be expressed through words.

   Suddenly she felt his lips in a fleeting, shy touch on the tip of her nose. She recognized it was as an excuse for not restraining himself.

   "You have nothing to apologize for." She said sweetly as her eyes met his, again, while her hand caressed his cheek in comfort. "I enjoyed it, Ben."

   But as he placed his hand over hers, his eyes held ghosts of a fear that would never leave. A fear only Rey understood perfectly. She almost felt sorry for him, for what had brought him to this state. But she remembered her vow, to teach him what affection was. And again, she didn't see the man that had been through do much, but the frightened child he so often shrank back to.

   "I love you, Ben, never doubt that." her eyes bore into his, and her fingers stroked his hair, smoothing it back. "And I love your kisses as well."

   She hugged him tightly under the faint shimmer of stars that have begun to appear against the sky.

   A shiver ran through her, making goosebumps rise on her arms. But it was not from the cold, nor from fear as she had experienced so often. It was from a thought she had shielded to herself for so long. It was for something she had never dreamed of, something that was finally happening.
 
    As the night fell, they began toward the forest. Rey did not know what they were going to do, nor did she care a bit. But she knew one thing; that she was going to protect those last moments, no matter what. And the dark fell behind them like a veil, slowly covering the shimmer of the moon reflected by the lake.

   She looked back at the lake, almost with longing. But she wanted to brighten up those moments, so that was what she did. Leaning back from his arms, she smacked his shoulder and ran off.

   "Catch me if you can!"

Ben
   His instinct told him to yell after her. But the surprise of it left him muted.

   The next moment she vanished in the darkness. A sudden fear began to creep under Ben's skin when he could no longer see her.

   A yell that lost through the sea of  trees escaped his mouth. "Rey!" but no answer came. And his heart was about to race from his chest.

   It felt like those nightmares he used to have in the cell, when someone dear was in pain, and his legs, his hands would not come to help. As if he were caught in a trap, forcefully frozen in place.

   Where are you? He thought as fears were invading his mind. And her leg was injured... What if she fell somewhere? What if there were creatures lurking about?

   But before he knew, he tore through the den of darkness. Leaves and branches were whipping and lashing at his already bruised face, and the forest seemed an endless maze he couldn't get out of.

   He tried not to let the fears took hold of him completely as his legs bore him with the light of speed on the narrow path.
   Eventually he stopped to catch his breath. He had not meant it; yet somehow he could hear a low rustle of leaves around. Rey.

   Slowly, he followed the course of that sound. And relief took the place of the vise around his gut that had choked him with fear. Relief, and even a small smile.
   He could see her quite clearly now; the white of her tunic a dim contrast against the dark.

   His hand stretched out, and he tried to reach for that place. Only it shifted, and he caught a glimpse of her eye, shimmering in the dark. Before he knew, he tore through the forest once again.

   So you want to be the one who kills me, after all... He would have retorted, had the eerie silence not been so intimidating.

   His strides were long, and soon, her frame came into view. She must have sensed him, for she glanced over her back, and veered to the right.
   Now the path was clearer before him. And she was only three feet ahead, her paces wobbly from the strained ankle.

   Drunk on laughing, they ran until she tripped on a root and slammed against his chest.

   "Whoa!" a cry escaped her lips, and Ben burst out laughing as he caught her in his arms.

   But the sudden fear she had felt, that hitch in her breath, was gone, replaced by another crisis of laugh. Until Ben's finger fell upon her lips.

   "Shh. I suppose there's only the two of us that know of my escape."

   "Oh, right."

  
~Rey~

   She did not, did not want to think of it. And for a few brief moments, her mind had remained shielded. But the same thoughts that she will not have him for long pressed hard on her soul, drowning even the greatest happiness.

   He helped her stand on her feet, his eyes beheld her.

   "You made my heart race out of my chest, Rey." he said after a long pause, and sighed with relief.

   She would have said more, but resumed to a smile, and walked ahead, him on her trail. She did not know why, yet her mind did not find its place. Too many thoughts, too much sadness. Her eyes rose up to the moon that shone above the circle of trees that made the clearing where she stopped. The moon would always remind her of him, of her Ben.

   She had already forgotten he was there, with her, when she felt someone gently grab her hand, and remembered she was not alone.

   His eyes smiled sadly down at her. And they reflected all those stars that made the ground shine silver. All those stars that would fade away when he would close his eyes forever.

   Rey was numb once again. And she tried hard not to cry, not to crumple down there and wait for the force to claim her.

   On the other hand, there were other things that made her numb. The desire to reach up and caress his face. The need to kiss him again. But she did not know if this was the right moment. And even if it was, her lungs were made of water, ready to pour on the ground.

   A sob was crawling up her throat, and the lump that had formed there left her unable to speak properly. "Ben..." and her eyes were a constellation of tears as she looked up at him.

   But he placed a finger on her lips to silence her.

   "Tomorrow... Now let's forget about it, at least for a bit. I want to make those last moments the best of my life. I want us to be happy, both of us. Rey, I don't want you to trade hope for despair. I want you to know that I'll always be there, deep inside your heart."

   Her lip quivered, as she spoke in a small, thin voice.

  "I couldn't save you from the start. I remember when I first tried. And I failed. Can you forgive me for trying again? Don't give up the fight. Don't leave me behind." She pleaded with him, her lips a breath away from his. "I remember you were once the threat for the galaxy. You did murder lots of innocent people. But for me, all that stands forgiven. I forgave you once, and I'm ready to do it again, until you will be sure on it."

  And he held her closer in response, his hand stroking her back. "You brought me to the person I am now. And I know you can never lose hope. I must leave, Rey. You know that. And maybe, just maybe, they'll decide something else."

   But she knew those words were only meant to ease the pain in her heart. She knew that he was going to die there. And she knew that he knew it. That small shiver of doubt in his voice had betrayed his words.

   "My death will bring peace, Rey. As it  did after the battle of exegol, when they were convinced I was gone."

   "It will bring peace over the galaxy. But not over my soul." her voice tried to be firm, yet he could sense it was breaking. "My soul will forever be grieving this loss. A moment after your death, a day, a week and all the years I've got to live." and she was trying hard to steel her tears as her finger traced his jawline. "My heart will remain hollow, my dreams will be haunted by your face and the rivers will sing with your voice, always to remind me that you were once the other half of my soul, my only love." and with that, her voice shattered.

   "I'm with you." he said as his nose nudged her forehead. "Now, and always. We're a dyad in the force, Rey, our souls can never be truly separated." and after a pause, he added "And our love will span across universes."

   She nodded weakly, and leaned back from his embrace, pacing away. "But as you said, now it's not the time to grieve. Please, Ben, make me live as if those are the last moments of my life."

   But he didn't know. He had no idea what to do. Instead she needed time, to think, to let everything make sense.

   "And what now?" he asked her. "Back to the base?" But unlike him, who was overwhelmed with fear, she seemed to know the answer.

    She thought for a bit. The base was the last thing she would go to now. And... After all there were things she couldn't voice, but wanted to be clear about. At least now, that it was the last chance to let him know.

   He looked within her eyes. Such light, such innocence... He tentatively reached out to touch her face, but she was within his reach. "We don't have much time." he said.

   "But we do, we have the whole night."

   And Rey approached him slowly. She could sense he was shyer than usual, but so was she. Her paces were steady, her lips instead were trembling with anticipation. Her hand groped for his in the dark, and her eyes flickered from his gaze to his lips and back.

   What have you done to me? She wondered, again.

~*~

  
A/N: For this chapter, the inspiration for the title goes to a melody I've listened to lately, "Forgiven" by Within Temptation.
It seemed to me that the content was really simmilar to that of my chapter :).

   And, what do you think about the ending of this?

   A short explanation about the title: I believe you can tell she has Forgiven him from her actions, as well as from what is going to happen next. This sequence was kind of a preparation for the decision she is going to take.