A/N - This one's not really smutty, but there's a bit of mature fluff.   We'll eventually get to the smut - but these things take time folks!  I hope you enjoy!  Please don't forget to vote and comment!

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The familiar, repeated buzzing hum of the lightsaber being wielded was the only sound that could be heard.  A small group of people on the Resistance base had gathered to watch the fledgling Jedi practice with her new weapon.  All were quiet as she moved flawlessly with the unique piece – striking, dipping, jabbing, spinning.  It was breathtaking.

Rey was starting to feel self-conscious at the growing crowd.   Eventually, she stopped, turning the saber off, feeling that she had done enough for her first training session.  When she did so, everyone clapped, which embarrassed and annoyed her.

The small crowd began to disperse, leaving only Finn, Rose, Poe and Leia.  She wandered over and gave them a small smile.  "I wasn't expecting an audience today."  She began nervously and shook her head at her friends.  "Since that was the first time I've practiced with it, I hope I didn't look foolish or unbalanced.   It'll take me some time to get used to it."

Leia immediately responded with a soothing smile.  "You did fine.   Your movements were fluid, and the saber looked like an extension of your body.  Nobody would guess that that was your first time wielding it."

Rey looked down, blushing at Leia's praise.  Glancing at Finn, she noticed that the look he was giving her was filled with awe.  "Rey! That was amazing!  Your new lightsaber is the meanest looking thing I've ever seen – next to Kylo Ren's!   You looked like a real Jedi out there!"

"Thank you Finn – that's so sweet."  She responded bashfully.

Poe stepped up and put his arm around her, smiling.  "We all knew you could do it Rey."  he encouraged.  "The next time you meet up with Kylo Ren with that thing, I'm sure you'll finally be able to end him, and this war along with him."

Poe's words sent a jolt of angst through her.  Trying to keep a neutral expression on her face, Rey glanced over to Leia, who made no attempt to hide her displeasure, and spoke up quickly. "Honestly, Poe.   Must you do that?"

Stepping away from Poe, Rey turned to look at him, as he replied.  "What? What did I say?  We all know that's what its going to come down to."

Leia leaned over and smacked him on the side of the head.  "We do NOT know that.  I'm sure whatever it comes to, Rey will do whatever is needed."  She paused to catch her breath before continuing angrily. "What she does not need, is people putting that kind of pressure on her – saying its her job to kill Kylo Ren."  She gave him a stern glare.   "And I'm sure its not necessary to remind you of who he is to me.  If he needs to be eliminated, he will be, but I'm not moving forward with that option as the Plan A solution to this war.   If we did that, there are others in the First Order who would just take his place, and the war would simply continue on, just as it is now."

Poe just stood there, stunned at Leia's outburst.   Shaking his head, he cursed under his breath, and walked away.  As she watched him leave, Rey looked up and saw Ben standing across the clearing, not having heard or felt the bond connect once again.   Seeing his expression, she guessed that he had heard the entire conversation.

Sighing, she looked down at the ground, and then back up at her remaining friends.  "If you guys don't mind, I'm going to go find a quiet, isolated spot to meditate.  I'll come back to the base later, ok?"

Leia gave her a knowing look.  "Don't worry about what Poe said – we'll take each day, and each battle as it comes."  Rey looked up at her and nodded.   "Don't wander off too far, ok?"

"I won't.  Thanks guys.  Finn, Rose, I'll come find you later.  Bye."  They all nodded at her, and Rose gave her a quick hug. "See you later."  she whispered.

Rey grabbed her pack and walked across the clearing.  She saw Ben follow as she disappeared into the forest.

**

Kylo's mind was reeling over what he had witnessed and heard. They were trying to convince Rey to kill him!  He clenched his fists, and ground his teeth, trying to calm the anger that surged within him at the thought.   The anger was quickly replaced by fear.  What if they succeeded in turning her against him?  Not secure in her feelings for him, uncertainty threatened to overwhelm him.

He followed her deeper into the forest, waiting until she was ready to speak.  Eventually she stopped, and gave him a small smile as she turned to face him.  "I'm sorry you had to hear that." She paused to choose her words carefully, shaking her head.  "Poe can be a hothead, and for some reason he seems convinced that you are the root of everything, and are the ultimate cause and end of this war."  She took a breath and continued.  "He'll be the hardest to convince about any changes you're making to the First Order."

He was looking down at the ground, completely silent.  She reached over and brushed his fingers, trying to take his hand, but he stubbornly pulled it back.  Looking up at her, his face totally impassive, he shrugged.  "What do you want me to say?"

She noticed he was wearing his mask without the mask again.  The one he used to hide his feelings from her, and everyone else.  Not allowing him to brush her aside, she reached out and grabbed his hand.  "You can't possibly believe that I'd take anything Poe said seriously?"  When he remained silent, she went on  "Ben, you know I could never even consider hurting you, let alone contemplate killing you.  Especially since we've been..."  She stopped herself.

What had she been about to say?

Kylo tilted his head curiously, eyes never leaving hers.  "Since we've been.. what?"

She thought about it for a minute, her eyes soft when she spoke.  "Since we've been growing closer."

He let out a shuddering breath that he didn't realize he was holding, and stepped forward, wrapping his arms around her.

The moment she was in his arms, all her troubles melted away.  There was only him and her, and how good it felt when they were like this together.  She looked up and gave him a soft kiss, and a smile.  "Hi."

He smiled back, sighing.  "Hi."  Resting his chin on the top of her head, he asked.  "Did you try out your saber?"

Pulling out of his embrace, she sparkled as she looked up at him.  "Yes! The second blade was a little hard to get used to, but it felt so good – so natural to use.  Master Luke's never felt like that!"

Nodding, he told her "That's because even though Luke's saber called to you, it wasn't truly yours.  This one is different, since the crystals are in tune with your Force, so the saber responds more fluidly, more naturally than any other."

She sighed.   "It felt amazing.   Thank you again.  I just wish I had a sparring partner."  she hinted. "I feel like practicing forms isn't enough."

"It's not."  He told her.  "If we can find a clearing farther away from your base, I'd be happy to train with you."  The look he gave her showed his eagerness.

Giving him an excited smile, she tugged on his hand.  "Let's go!"

As they trekked through the forest, Rey reminded him that he'd promised to teach her how to control the bond, as well as how block some of her thoughts.

"Blocking is hard, and requires some practice.  Usually you have to be in a quiet, focused place in your mind to learn – so let's do that another time.  In terms of controlling the connection, that's a bit easier."   he glanced at her.   "When you close your eyes and focus, can you feel my Force signature?"

She thought about it for a minute, wrinkling her nose. "I think so.  Yes.  Its always kind of just there...well, most of the time."

"Good."  He was quiet for bit, trying to put his thoughts into words.  "All I do is start my meditation process, but instead of focusing on clearing my mind, I concentrate specifically on locating your Force signature.  Once I find it, I try to guide my mind to move toward it.  Does that make sense?"

"Yes."  She smiled.  "I think it does!  I will try that.  Maybe later tonight?"  She looked over at him shyly, to see his reaction.  He glanced back at her, his lips softening with a slight smile, and nodded.

A half hour later they came to another clearing, and nodded to one another.  They each went to either end, Rey dropping her pack on the ground, while Ben removed his cloak.   She heard the buzz of his saber ignite, and saw him already stalking toward her when she turned.  A quick shiver of fear passed through her, followed by a slight hesitation.  Kylo Ren.  she thought.  No. Ben.  Shaking her head and shoving the initial fear aside, she ignited both ends and strode toward him purposefully.

He struck first – a very obvious overhead swing that she was easily able to block.  She countered swiftly with the other end of her saber, forcing him to spin around for a quick block.  He tilted his head and raised an eyebrow – a hint of pride showing.  "That's a nice, quick combination."

This time, she went on the offensive, using one end for a powerful downward strike, which he quickly blocked, followed by yet another swift blow from her second blade, which he barely had time to counter.

Taking a step back, he re-evaluated the situation.   "Okay, time to stop taking it easy on you.  That thing gives you too much of an advantage."

She gave him a determined grin.  "Bring it on."

For the next half hour they dueled.   Sometimes he gained the upper hand, and others she did. His speed was unbelievable, and when he unleashed it, she could barely keep up.   It was a constant, repeated push and pull, that helped to build Rey's speed, and even taught her some new tricks.  They were both sweaty and out of breath when Kylo decided they had had enough, and attacked with renewed ferocity and speed, trying to end it.  Rey had no choice but to back up, defending against his repeated, powerful strikes, until she felt her back against a tree.  A flash of panic went through her eyes, as Ben held his saber against hers, trapping her against the tree.  He had a small smirk on his lips, and raised his eyebrow at her in question.

"I concede." she grumbled.

They both deactivated their sabers and hooked them to their belts, but stood there staring at each other, still panting from their exertion.  Suddenly, something in Ben's face changed, and he reached out, grabbing her – one hand behind her neck, and the other low on her hip, as he stepped even closer to her, pressing her farther into the tree.  As he continued to stare at her, Rey could feel the heat flowing between them.  Already overheated from their sparring, she could feel a bead of sweat trickle down between her breasts, the soft tickle adding to the arousing sensations starting to flow through her, causing her breathing to speed up.   He must have felt her spike of arousal through the bond, as he suddenly made a small sound and crushed his lips to hers.

Heat.  That was all she could feel.   She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tightly. Her hands reached up to frantically rake her fingers through his hair, and he let out a groan. Their lips devoured one another's, unable to get enough, wanting to get closer still.   His knee was between her thighs, and he began rubbing his throbbing hardness against her.  She moaned low in her throat and inhaled deeply.  The sound drove him wild and he pushed at her even harder.  His hand slipped lower onto her butt and lifted her leg to pull it around him, placing his arousal right onto her center.  At this, her head arched back, breaking the kiss, as she whimpered his name "Ben..."

He looked into her eyes, cloudy with desire, lips parted, as he continued to rub against her.  She was as aroused as he was, and it drove him crazy.  They were both panting heavily, and she began tearing at his tunic, trying to get to his skin underneath.

Dropping his head into the crook of her neck, he placed kisses in the sensitive spot there.  His teeth scraped her skin, and he continued to devour her neck, gently sucking at the tender skin. Her head fell back with another soft sound, causing him to shudder, and suck a bit harder.  Rey moaned loudly in response.

Kylo sucked in his breath to try to get himself under control, and whispered her name, as if a prayer.  "Rey...".  he gulped again, trying to speak.  "We have to stop."

Her hazy brain finally cleared enough to realize where they were.  She took a deep, shuddering breath, and brought her hand to his cheek, sighing.  "That was......

"Amazing.  Exciting.  Intoxicating."  he finished for her, leaning down to softly kiss her once again.

She tried to bury her face in his chest.   Kylo realized that she may be feeling a bit embarrassed, since he was still holding her leg up around him.  He let her leg go, and tipped her chin up to face him. His voice was husky when he whispered.  "You're so beautiful."  He traced her bottom lip with his thumb, staring deeply into her eyes.  "I'm sorry if that was......too much."

Shaking her head, she grabbed his wrist. "No!  It wasn't!  Not at all...I'm just not used to all this." she looked down, then back with a quiet admission.  "I like it when you touch me.....and....and press against me."

He let out a long, shuddering exhale, before pulling her in for a brief, soft kiss.  "Happy to oblige m'lady."  He leaned his forehead against hers.  "All you have to do is ask."

"I'll remember that."  She smirked.

Still holding her hand, he toyed with her fingers.  "I....I want to tell you something."  He said very quietly.  She looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to continue.  "I...I feel different when I'm with you.  Almost like a different person.  I've...never felt like this."

"Me too."  She said quietly.

His lip quirked up.  "I also seem to be unable to keep my hands off you."

"Me neither."  She smiled back.

They stood there, softly stroking each other's face and staring at each other for a few minutes before he finally spoke.  "You should probably get back.  I'll walk you as long as...this...holds." He gestured to himself.

She nodded, reaching out to wind her fingers through his, as they headed back towards the base.

**

As promised, Rey met up with Finn and Rose upon her return to the base.  They grabbed some food from the canteen and settled in to catch up with each other.   They kept asking about her new saber, where she got the idea for a double-sided blade, and how she built it.   She told them what she could, but felt like she was being a little dishonest.

During their meal, Rose caught her completely off guard, asking. "Did you hurt yourself when you were training, or get bitten by a bug of some sort?  You have a weird mark on your neck."  She pointed. "Does it hurt?"

Rey was a bit confused, her hand immediately going to the spot Rose was pointing at.  "I don't remember being bitten by anything.  But I did go through a different part of the forest today, so maybe something got me."  She replied.  Thinking about it more, she remembered Ben sucking on her neck around that area.  Did that leave a mark?  Her face immediately reddened, and she realized that Rose was looking at her strangely. "Don't worry – if it gets any worse or starts to hurt, I'll go to MedBay to have it checked out."

When they were done eating, she left them to go and find Poe, deciding that it was best to talk to him sooner rather than later about what had happened that morning.  She found him in one of the hangars, talking to a couple of the other pilots.  He looked a bit uncomfortable when he saw her, but wandered over to her when he was done.

"Hey Rey, what's up?"

She smiled back at him, trying to keep the mood light.  "I was going to ask you the same thing? What was that all about this morning?"

He had the grace to sheepishly look down at the ground before looking back up at her saying "Yeah, sorry about that.  I just saw you with your new saber, and you looked so amazing and beautiful the way you moved with it, and my impatience to have this war over and done with got the best of me."

Unaccustomed to such bold compliments, Rey blushed.   "Thank you, Poe.  That's very sweet of you to say."

"I mean it.  You have this beautiful, and pure power that shines through you.  Its... its... captivating to watch."  He took a step closer, and raising his hand, brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.  "It makes me...."

Rey immediately took a step back, uncomfortable where this was going.  "Poe-"

"No, wait - don't say anything!.....Just...."  He said, looking at her desperately.  He took another step forward, grasped her shoulders, and pulling her toward him, smashed his lips to hers.

Rey's eyes widened, as she tried to give him a gentle push away.  When that didn't work, and she felt his arms start to wrap around her shoulders – she shoved him forcefully, causing him to stumble back a step.  The look he gave her registered shock and confusion.

"Poe!  What in the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Rey, please – I'm not good with the words and stuff.  I'm just trying to show you how I feel!"  he pleaded.

Her mouth was hanging open in disbelief.   "Are you kidding me?  Poe Dameron, the constant charmer, trying to say he's not good with 'the words and stuff'?"  she shook her head.  "Seems to me that you were just looking for a reason to kiss me!"

He was contrite when he said.  "Well, I kind of was, but that's what set me off this morning.   I've been wanting to tell you how I feel for so long, but didn't know how to do it!  Flirting with girls is different....you're different.  I'm not trying to just flirt with you – honest!  But you're always so busy, and so many people depend on you.   I just hoped that maybe when this war is over you and I would have more chances to be together, and so am anxious for it to be over with!"

Rey's mouth was still hanging open, but she continued gently.  "Poe......"  she paused  "I really like you.  You're a really great guy....."  She was silent for a moment.  "But I don't think of you like that.  I think of you like a brother."

Now it was Poe's turn to be shocked.  No woman he had ever his sights on had told him that they saw him as a brother.  "Like.... a brother???"

"I'm sorry Poe."  She nodded.  "A brother."

"But...."

She held up her hand to stop him, and shrugged her shoulders.   "I'm sorry Poe.. its just not there."

His eyebrows wrinkled.  "I don't understand.  What's not there?"

Rey sighed, wanting to not make this harder than it already was.   "No spark."  She let that hang in the air.  "I really want to stay friends, so please tell me that this won't affect that?"

Poe still looked very confused.  She wasn't sure why this was so difficult, when she had never given him any sign that she wanted anything more with him.  Or did she?  Thinking back, she was pretty sure that she didn't.  "So, are we good?"   she asked.

He looked back at her, perplexed. "What?  Oh, yeah.  Sure."

"OK then."  she said carefully.  "I'm going to go now.  I'll see you later?"

He just nodded as she walked away.  Well that was uncomfortable.  And weird. She thought, still shaking her head.

Afterwards, she went back to her quarters to think about everything that had happened.  The encounter with Poe was completely unexpected, and she was just glad that he didn't seem to be angry.  But it was very weird that he seemed so completely thrown by the fact that she just wasn't interested in him that way.  Had no woman ever told him no before?  Maybe she would ask Rose for her take on the situation.

She went to the fresher to have a shower.  When she looked in the mirror she noticed a purplish mark on her neck where Ben had nibbled and sucked on it.  Feeling a bit embarrassed, she hoped Rose didn't suspect anything.   Based on the look she gave her, Rey was afraid she might. But, in their eyes, who could she possibly be meeting?  Her next thought stopped her in her tracks.  Gods, she hoped they didn't think she was trysting with Poe!!   She shook it off, and decided to talk to Ben about not leaving marks on her in future.  Well, not marks that would easily be seen by all, she thought, smiling.

Her thoughts then went to her new lightsaber, feeling a warm glow in the region of her heart. She still couldn't quite believe he had such a beautiful hilt made for her.   It seemed so out of character of him!  She absolutely loved it, and knowing he had thought of her gave her such a feeling of overwhelming contentment.  Her heart swelled to the point that it felt like it would burst every time she thought of it.

Training with him had been an amazing experience.  It was exhilarating – there was no other way to describe it.  His speed.  His agility and power.  He was simply beautiful to watch as he moved. He was power and grace combined.  Just thinking about it sent heat pooling to her belly, and she blushed.

Whenever they were together - close to each other, something came over her.  It was as if she needed to touch him.  She couldn't help herself. It was like a craving.  And when they touched, it calmed them both.  She could feel it.

And other times when they touched, kissed.....the passion that sparked overwhelmed her.   It burned so hot, and felt so good....they both lost themselves in it.  That passion was building more and more lately.  She knew what it would likely eventually lead them to.....She took a shaky breath, feeling this growing need to see and feel his skin.   To kiss him everywhere.  And that frightened her a bit.  She only knew that the thought of it made her feel very warm – and breathless.

On the other hand, when they were apart, she felt like a piece of her was missing.  She loved being with her friends here at the base – even when Poe was being a nerfherder, but she was growing to hate the time in between their visits.   It was starting to feel as if she was just passing time until they were able to connect again.  And that's what scared her most of all.

A/N - I'd like to thank everyone who has been reading this - hopefully you're not finding it too boring!  Please pass it along to those who might also enjoy!  And I always appreciate comments!