They were almost there, on the planet named Lothal where they would find the kyber crystals for their lightsabers. Rey had never heard of such planet, but it was where Ben had first gone to make his lightsaber.
  
   Lothal was a mountainous planet, from what he had told her. And she just thought it would look the same as Takodana.

   She was sitting in the co-pilot's seat, guiding Ben and giving him advice, and Chewie was behind them. Maz and Lando had insisted that the big wookie go with them on the unknown planet. And he had wanted to come, too. Not only for Rey, but for Ben too. Which was what surprised the young Solo the most.

   But Rey could see that in his heart, Chewie loved Ben almost as much as he had loved Han, as he loved her. And this gave Ben's sorrow a reason to flee from his heart after the fight with Lando.

   The Millennium Falcon was now searing atop the rocky mountains the planet disposed. Ben piloted it with swift and deft motions. And better that Rey had ever done it, better than Chewie, who knew the ship as well, better than Poe.

   "It looks like this ship is part of you." Rey told him with a smile.

   Ben took a moment to glance at her and to grin contently.

   Chewie made a loud "Raaawrrgh" as an approval.

   When they arrived, they landed in a preerie, not far from a small town that could be seen in the distance. Small wisps of smoke could be seen rising off the horns of the small, stone houses that stood in the middle, and there was a sea of tents at the borders.

   "I missed this place." Ben said, as if he were living a dream. "And I was looking forward to show it to you."

   "Thanks." She smiled back at him. But there was a shadow that was hanging over his eyes. The same shadow that would not let her go. She had wanted that more than anything, being a jedi, being able to build her own lightsaber... But now there was something that missed... She was afraid that the price she had to pay was too big.

   And suddenly, she could hear a ticking in the back of the ship.

   "Oh!" she gasped as she remembered. "My friends asked me to call them when I got there." She told Ben hastily as she stood up and strode away.

   "Sure, I'll wait you in my quarters."

   She strode to the chamber and closed the door behind her. As she sat down and opened the holo, Finn's shout roared loudly off the walls.

   "Reeey!"

   "Yes, Finn, it's me." She tried to silence him, shooting him a burning glare.

   "Rey, what the hell happened? Why didn't you keep in touch with us as you had said?"

   "Uhm..." She blurted out. "It was the thing with..."

   But she never got to finish it, for Finn's voice drowned hers again.

   "Rey, you scared the shit out of me!"

   "Finn! Stop, let her speak!" Rey could hear Rose's voice coming.

   "Rose!" she would have hugged her friend, have they been in the same place.

   And then, Poe's face came into view.

   "Hi, Rey! We really miss you. And how's BB-8?"

   "I miss you too. I miss the old days when we flew together." but if truth be told, she enjoyed being with Ben more. It would have been great if they were all together. But she knew it was impossible. "And yes, BB-8 is fine, be sure."

   "How is it going?" Finn asked after he had calmed down.

   "Huh... Not bad... I mean..." she blurted out. Could she tell them she still didn't have the force?

   "It's alright, I know it has to take longer." Finn said at last.
  
    "Lando came at the base and told us you were going on a kyber crystal quest?" Poe asked.

   And Rey could feel her heart beginning to race.

    "But Rey... Please let us know how you're doing, at least from time to time. Because..." And she could see that Finn's face fell to the ground.

   "What?" she pushed him.

   "The Final Order is once again rising to power." Poe said for his friend.

   "What!?" Rey jumped from her chair. It couldn't... Yet all the disturbances she had felt... It was what they must have been about.

    "We thought that by defeating Kylo Ren and Palpatine we saved the Galaxy. But we were wrong." Poe said.

    Rey stiffened at the name 'Kylo Ren' but did not let it show.

    "After the war, there were still a lot of First Order loyalists hiding in the corners of the Galaxy. Including General Allegiant Pryde, who took Hux's place. And he is set to restore what Kylo Ren wanted to do." Poe continued.

   "And we suppose that Palpatine was his guidance, but now, that he is gone..." Rose said.

   "We need your help, Rey." Poe said, gravely. "You're Force-sensitive, only you can save us."

    There is another, she wanted to tell him, but had the sense to keep her mouth shut.

   "I went to Maz before I left." Rey began. "And she said it too. She said that something more terrible is yet to come. Said that we need to stay prepared."

   "And you... Did you feel something? A presence?" Finn pushed on.

   Rey let her eyes down and bit her lip. "Yes, I did. But I don't know exactly what it was. The Force does not reveal to me the way it did in the past."

   She could see Rose throwing Poe a fretful glance. And for a few moments, there was a silence grave and somber and ominous between them.
   Until Poe rose his chin up to her, as if he had made his decision. The blue hologram of his face flickered, and Rey knew it was going to end.

   "Rey." he began. "As General of the Resistance, I'm telling you that I need you here, with us. And I'm asking for your return as soon as you can."

   Instinctively, she took a step back. "But... I can't... Understand me, I can't."

   "And Rey, general Pryde has put a price on your head!" Finn said, alarmed. "Please, let me come with you. You and Chewie are alone there, please!" he begged.

   "No!" she said defensively.

   "Why?"

   "I... Can't tell you. But understand me, we're fine."

   "Respect her decision." Poe said, even though it was clear he didn't agree with Rey. He was only fed up with Finn's behavior.

   Rey didn't know what to say next. But nor did she have to, for the end of the call came to her help. The blue hologram of her three friends flickered and in an instant they faded.

   When the hologram was done, Rey headed to the chamber where Ben was in.
   As she went to sit on the bench next to him, he put an arm around her shoulders. His thumb stroked it lightly.

   "Something has been troubling you ever since leaving Takodana. I can see it." he said softly.

   "It's the same thing that troubles you." Rey replied. He was always gentle with her, alway protective. And it made Rey feel weak, vulnerable. She could fend for herself just as well.

   Ben looked back in his lap and nodded. He had feelings for Rey, strong feelings. And he wanted her and only her. If he could choose her over the whole galaxy, he knew he would. But he could not turn his back on the millions of people waiting for a hope. And it was his chance at redemption. And he knew that was what Rey wanted of him, before anything else.

   He placed his other hand on her face and put her head against his chest, gently stroking her soft hair.

   Rey closed her eyes and sniffled a tear that had begun to form in her eye and buried her head in his brown leather tunic.

   "My dream has always been becoming a jedi. But now I don't think I want that anymore." She said as she looked up at him. "Not since I've discovered something more, something deeper."

   And Ben knew what she meant. Knew she was talking about them.

    "There must be a way. There has to be." he insisted as he shook her lightly. Then he kissed her forehead. "I don't understand what would be wrong with that."

   And she wanted to believe that what he was saying was true. But it would have been a sweet dream if it was.

  "Anyway, I never wanted to have children." Rey said, all of a sudden.

   Ben was confused and sad at the same time. His lips parted from her forehead slowly, as she pulled away. "Why?" he asked as he tried to hide the brokenness in his voice.

   "There is always havoc in this Galaxy. There is no peace to grow a family. And if I had children, I don't want them to go through what I've been."

    But truth was, she did want a family. What she'd said, was just to give her some small solace, for now she knew that the chance at a family was compromised.

  " What do you say that we stay here for a night, to get some rest, then begin the quest tomorrow morning?" Ben asked her. "I see that you're tired. And so many things happened today... Things I never imagined that would ever happen. And I know it's hard for you, it all needs to settle down. And I want the way to the caves to be unique. I want you to truly live it."

   "Mhm." She nodded against his chest. "It's better that we go tomorrow. As you said, I wouldn't want to miss a thing because of my worries." She tilted her head to smile at him.

   "Then so be it." he concluded as he moved his hand up and down her back.

   1 AM
   It was late night, but Rey kept tossing in her bed. No matter how hard she tried, sleep would not come to her. And she knew she needed it for their journey tomorrow. But when she would close her eyes, the same nightmares that had been haunting her in the past days would play in her mind. Only now they were worse.

   And as the last nightmare played in her mind right after she had fallen asleep, she woke up screaming in terror, sweating all over and trembling fiercely.

   She could barely breathe as the light flashed open and Ben stormed in the room, concerned all over. He didn't even get to reach her bed, that she was already wrapping her arms around him, as if she were trapped somewhere alone, and he had come to rescue her.

   "There was that..." She trailed off as a sob full of tears erupted from her. Ben rocked her in his arms and kissed her head soothingly.

   "Shh." he tried to silence her by gently brushing her lips with the back of his fingers.

   "No," she insisted stubbornly.

   Ben wished he could take it away from her. Poor girl was shaking all over, her teeth were clattering, her eyes were red and puffy and swollen from crying, and her voice was hoarse and raw.

   "There was that nightmarish appearance..." she burst out in tears and Ben held her tightly to his chest as his hand brushed the tears away from her cheeks.

   "It's alright, I'm here. I'll always be here, I promise."

   But she continued in her shaky voice. "...it was hurting me... Hitting me with its lightning... And more..." She stopped to stiffle a sob against Ben's chest. Then he took the glass of water he had brought and held it up to her mouth to take a sip. Then she resumed to her crying, as her tears wet his tunic.

   His hand cradled her face, his fingers running through her hair, as his nose brushed soothingly against her temple.

   "... It was shredding me to pieces..." She sobbed again. Ben could barely hear it, but he did enough. And the part with the lightnings alarmed him the most. It couldn't be... Or could it? No, he prayed.

   But Rey's breaking voice drew his attention again. "... He was killing me by the time you came in here, and then you cried my name in my dream and he left me and went to you... I don't want to lose you. I don't, I don't, I don't!" she snuggled closer to him and her hands tightened around him for dear life.

   "Shh. I'm here now. I'm here with you. And I'm not going to let anything happen to you. It's over, it was just a nightmare."

   He stroked tenderly her cheek, her hair, kissed her temple and her head. "My Rey. My sweet Rey of Sunshine" he remembered the little nickname he had made up for her. And it seemed to have drawn up her attention, for she looked up at him. Her eyes were a constellation of tears. Then he kissed her forehead, and went down between her eyes, and to her nose.

   "It wasn't Palpatine, was he?" he asked her as his thumb caressed the side of her neck. He had a presumption it hadn't been him... But something more terrible. He knew it couldn't be him. Palpatine never frightened Rey that much.

   She shook her head. And then, drawing in a deep breath, she continued. "It was... I can't describe it... It was far more fearsome... And it had a terrible face and many legs... And no matter how fast we ran, that creature would get us."

   No, no, no! It couldn't be... It couldn't... Ben thought desperately.

   A shudder went through Rey and he hugged her trembling form even tighter.
   Now what she had told him made him cringe with fear. And he needed and clung to her as much as she clung to him.

   Tor Valum was dead... He was almost dead... He couldn't have gained so much power in such a short time. Ben closed his eyes and let Rey's soothing sensation next to him settle in. He didn't realize he was now holding her so tight, as if he was actually on the point of losing her.

   But when he loosened the grip on her a bit, he found her not ready to let go. She clutched him even tighter, squeezing her eyes and letting out a whimper.

   "Please stay with me! Don't go."

   "I won't, sweetheart. I promise you, I won't."

   It was queer though, that it was only her who had those nightmares, visions, and not him.

   He held her some more moments, until her shakes resumed to sobs, and the sobs resumed to whimpers. Her head was nestled in the crook of his neck, his chin on top of it.

   He rocked her until he could hear her breath steadying, a sign that she had fallen asleep.

   He leant back with her in his arms as he pulled the coverlet over them, tucking it beneath her chin.

   He placed a hand on her face and kissed her forehead. And after he used  what little force he had to ease her mind in a deep sleep, he turned off the light at last.
   And even he was afraid in that darkness now. But at least Rey could sleep, and that was enough.
 

~Thanks for reading! ~
 

   I know I haven't updated for a long time, but I began another fanfiction, it is entitled "Thief before Anything Else", a medieval au.

   And, we finally found out who the Dark presence was :))