A/N - OMG! OMG!!! 1.1 K reads!!  Thank you so much to all who have been reading this story.   When I first started posting, I was hoping to get to 1 K eventually, but this is awesome! So thank you all again!  I know its been a few days since I've updated, but its been a bit crazy - so sorry for the wait.  This chapter builds on their story a bit more - so I hope you like it!  Please don't forget to vote and as always I absolutely love your comments.  Enjoy!!

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Her heart broke when she got to his bedside.  He looked so injured, so vulnerable.  His head was bandaged thickly, his face covered in Bacta patches, and his arm and leg were both immobilized in casts.  She just stood and stared, tears streaming down her cheeks and said,  "Oh Ben."  under her breath.

There was a chair at his bedside, and the nurse gestured for her to sit.   "I'm going to bring you something to eat."  She told her.

"That's okay.  I'm fine."  Rey told her, offering a small smile through her tears.

The nurse brushed her denial aside.   "Nonsense.  You're a patient too.  I'll have one of the droids bring you a tray.  You need to eat!"  She said, wagging her finger at Rey, before turning and walking away.

Rey scooted her chair closer and took Ben's hand.  "You don't need to stay."  She told Tiga, not looking away from Ben.  "I'm not going anywhere, and those Stormtroopers out front wouldn't let me out anyways.  Go do whatever you need to do."  She told him.

"Are you sure?"  He asked hesitantly.

Nodding, she said.  "Yes. I'll be fine.  Don't worry about me."

"Okay.  I'll come and check on you later – to see if you need anything.  Actually, do you want something clean to wear?  I can probably get you something."

She thanked him again, and told him that it wasn't necessary.   At that he left, and Rey focused her thoughts on Ben.  She had never seen him so injured, so incapacitated.  But the doctor had said he'd been banged up worse before.  An intense feeling of sadness welled up from within, threatening to overcome her.  Poor Ben.  She thought.   She recalled all of the scars on his body. This man had been through hell – why must it still continue?

She leaned her forehead on his bicep, his hand still held in hers.  Ben.  I'm here.   She stayed like that for several minutes, not noticing the shocked stares from the two nurses that moved around the room.   Raising her head, she looked at his ravaged face.  Only a small part of his right cheek was visible – the one with her scar.  She reached out and stroked it with her thumb, and gently combed her fingers through the few strands of hair visible outside of his head bandage.  "I love you."  She whispered quietly enough so that only he could hear her.

One of the nurses approached her with a tray.   "Hi.  You're Lady Rey, right?"

Rey looked over at her with a small smile, her eyes still a bit teary.  "It's just Rey."

"Okay, Rey it is then.  I'm Reeza.  I brought you some dinner."  She kindly said, setting it on the table next to her.

She watched as the young nurse walked over to check on Ben's readings.  "Thank you.  But I'm really not very hungry."

"Nonsense."  Reeza replied.   "I'm sure the Supreme Leader would want you to eat.  You have to keep up your strength.  So please – eat!"  She continued to flit around him, making sure everything was in order, before silently moving away.

Rey sighed and turned to the tray, picking at the contents.  After a few bites, she decided that the food actually tasted really good.  Before she knew it, the tray was empty, and she felt a lot better.

Once again she scooted herself closer, took his hand and leaned her forehead on his bicep.  The warmth of his skin seeped into her, slowly starting to unfurl the knot of tension inside.    Breathing in his scent, she felt calmed.  She closed her eyes and tried to quiet her mind of the worry that still plagued her.  His head wound concerned her.  The doctor said he might have a concussion, and it might take some time for him to wake up.  As long as he was okay, she was fine if his body and head needed a few days to heal.

She stayed like that until her breathing slowed, and evened out, and she eventually fell asleep. Her dreams were restless, filled with images of explosions and Ben flying backward into nothingness, hearing her own screams as he disappeared.

**

She startled awake, lifted her head, and looked around disoriented.  After a second, she realized where she was.  Ben.  Glancing over to him, she could see he was still unconscious.   Rubbing the kink out of her neck, she yawned, and leaned over to plant a kiss on Ben's bicep.  "Good Morning."  She whispered quietly, a bittersweet smile on her face.

"Good Morning, Lady Rey."

Rey turned and looked at yet another young nurse, who approached her with a tray.  "It's just Rey."

The young woman smiled at her.  "I'm Nira.   I've brought you some breakfast."

"How is Be.. the Supreme Leader doing?"  She asked warily.

"The same I'm afraid."  Nira smiled.  "His vitals are stable, and his bones are healing due to the constant infusion of BoneMend he's being given.  But until he wakes up, we really won't know the extent of his head injury."  She tsked.  "You should go ahead and eat now.  You need to keep up your strength."

Why do all the nurses keep saying that?  She thought.  Do I look like I'm going to wither away if I miss a meal?  But again, after tasting the warm, sweet grain cereal, she decided she was hungry. And they had given her a sweet, orange coloured juice, that Rey decided she could drink forever.

Not long afterward, Lt.Tiga showed up and asked if she'd like a shower.  Apparently General Pride had suggested that she be taken to guest quarters to freshen up, if she'd like.  At first, Rey was torn.  She didn't want to leave Ben's side, but the nurses said he was stable, and seemed to think he wouldn't wake up any time soon, so she decided that a shower and some fresh clothes would be heavenly.

Tiga escorted her to the guest quarters, followed by the four Stormtroopers, of course, who remained outside.  Once inside, he pointed to a set of black clothes that were folded on the bed for her to wear after her shower.  Looking forward to feeling clean, she smiled broadly and thanked him profusely for his help.  He told her to take her time and that the Stormtroopers would escort her back to the MedBay when she was done.   Heading out, he mentioned that she should get the nurses to page him if she required any more help, and that he'd drop by the MedBay later to see if she needed anything else.

Once she figured out the controls for the shower, she decided that she'd never felt anything more heavenly in her life.   The water was hot!   She'd never had a hot shower before, and it helped to soothe her aching muscles.  The bandages on her arms and legs were sodden though, so she removed them.   She'd ask Nira when she returned to the MedBay if they needed to be replaced or whether she could leave them off.

There were several different shampoos and cleansers that smelled lovely.  She chose a couple of floral scents and lathered her hair to get the dust and grime from the explosion out of it.  When she was done, she had to admit, she felt pampered.  Stepping out of the fresher, she wrapped a towel around herself and went into the bedroom to grab the clean clothing.

An orange haired man was standing in the room, and she shrieked at the sight of him, darting back into the fresher and closing the door.   "Who are you and why are you in here?"  She yelled through the door.

"I'm General Hux."  He told her proudly.  "I had heard that the Scavenger was on board, and I just had to come see for myself."  He sneered.

Taking a deep breath she answered back.  "Well, now you've confirmed that I'm here, you can just leave so I can get dressed."

"Oh, come now. I'm sure many have gazed upon your scrawny, nude body.  What's one more?" The sneer was even more evident now.

She was trapped.  Her dirty clothes were out there too, and there was no way she was going out there in just a towel, with that monster in the room.  An idea came to her.   "General Hux, Sir?"  She asked subserviently.  "Does General Pride know you're in my room?"

"Pride?"  He asked in confusion.  "I don't know, and I don't care.  Why do you ask?"

"You may want to consider letting him know.  I'm not too sure he'd be pleased."  She tried not to make it sound like a command, lest he get angry with her.

"Again, I don't really care what Pride thinks.  Now I suggest you get your skinny ass out here so we can get on with this."  He commanded.

Rey took a deep breath.  This was not good.  "Get on with what Sir?"  She asked.

"You know very well what I'm speaking of, now get out here before I get really angry and have those Stormtroopers break down that door, and give them all a turn while I'm at it."  He said in a sickeningly sweet voice.

Her heartbeat sped up.  What could she do?  She was sure she could get away from Hux, but those Stormtroopers would likely not let her past them.  Suddenly, she heard Hux's voice again. This time much louder, and much more irritated.

"Tiga, what are you doing here?"  He barked.

"Sir."  Tiga replied.  "General Pride requests your presence on the command deck immediately."

She could hear Hux reply in a bored, condescending voice.  "Yes, yes, tell Pride I'll be there shortly."

"No, Sir."  Tiga cut back in.  "You don't understand.  He said immediately.   And noted that I should tell you that if you didn't heed immediately, that he would...."  Rey heard him cough... "Sir, he said that he would cut your bollocks off."

"HE WHAAAT?!"  Hux roared.   Rey could hear him storm out of the chamber.  She heard some shuffling and then Tiga said.  "Its okay, he's gone now.  If you open the door a crack, I'll pass you your clothes."

She breathed a huge sigh of relief and slid down the door, her legs finally giving out.   "Thank you Tiga.  I'll... I'll need a minute."  After a couple of minutes, her breathing returned to normal, and she called out to him, sliding the door open a crack.  "Okay.  I'm good now.  Can you please hand me the clothes?"

Tiga did so, and after dressing, Rey came out of the fresher and literally hugged him.   "Thank you so much.  I had no idea what I was going to do.  How did you know to come?"

He smiled at her.   "I told the Stormtroopers that Hux was not allowed to get near you on Pride's orders.  They were too afraid to bar him from the room, so when he entered they called me immediately, and I called Pride."

Shaking her head on a laugh, she asked.  "Did Pride really say he would cut off Hux's balls?"

Tiga grinned hugely.  "He most certainly did.  Let's get back to the MedBay.  Hux will have learned his lesson for now, but he's known for being sneaky.  He wouldn't dare cause a scene in the MedBay so you're safer there."  Rey nodded and followed him out of the room.

***

When Rey entered the MedBay, Nira was still on duty.   "Lady Rey, you look a bit more refreshed. I hope you feel better."

"I do, thank you."  Holding out her arms she queried.  "Do the bandages need to be replaced?"

Nira peered at the cuts and shook her head.  "No, they're good."  Only the one with the stitches needed to be kept covered, and they had put a waterproof bandage on that one, so it had stayed on.  "Why don't you go see the Supreme Leader.   He's doing well and we think he may be starting to wake up."

Rey's smile was blinding, as she rushed over to his bedside.  Taking his hand in hers, she stroked his cheek and ran her fingers through his hair.  "Ben.  Ben can you hear me?"  She waited for a few heartbeats, but heard nothing.  Suddenly, she could swear his hand twitched.  Looking down, she stroked his hand.   "Ben, can you hear me?"  She repeated softly.   "If so, can you squeeze my hand?"  Again, there was nothing.  Then his fingers moved.

She smiled, looking across at Nira.  "He tried to squeeze my hand!"  She yelled at the nurse, who immediately came over to check on Ben's vitals.

"Yes, it looks like he's coming around.  It might take an hour or so though – so let him take it as it comes."  Nira cautioned.

"I will..."  Rey continued to gently stroke and touch him, and whisper quiet words of encouragement and love.  Soon, she saw his eyelids start to flutter, and her heart almost burst with joy.   She could see him take a deep breath, and move his head from side to side with a moan of pain, before his eyes popped open.

"Ben?"  She asked hopefully.

His eyes snapped to hers, wide and confused.  "Where... where am I?"  He croaked.  "What happened?"

"Shhhh.  Don't try to talk just yet.  You've been out for about 24 hours.   You're on the Finalizer. There was an explosion on Coruscant.  You were badly injured, but you're going to be okay."  Her eyes were shining with relief, tears tracking down her cheeks.  "Are you in pain?"

Ben blinked, trying to process what she told him.  Eyes still wide, he asked her.  "We're on the Finalizer?"  She nodded.  "And you're here too?"  Smiling, she nodded again, her throat tight.

"It's okay.   I'm okay.   Lt.Tiga helped me, and General Pride okayed it."  She soothed

His eyes registered not a small degree of shock.   "Pride?  Okayed your being here?  A member of the Resistance?"

"Yes.  Don't worry about that now."  She continued to try to keep him calm.

"Is Hux here?"  He asked worriedly.

Rey smiled.  "He is.   But I think Pride told him that he'd cut off his balls if he hurt me."

Ben started to laugh but it came out as a painful cough.  "Shhhh."  She held up a cup water for him to take a sip.  "I'm so glad you're finally awake Ben.  That you're okay."  She put her head down on his bicep and took a deep breath.  There were tears in her eyes when she looked back up at him.  "I was so scared."

He gazed at the relief on her face, and moved his arm up to stroke her cheek.   "I feel like Hell, but I'll be fine Rey."  She put her hand over his on her cheek, and closed her eyes, savouring his touch.  Opening her eyes, she noticed Nira standing off to the side, a bemused smile on her face, having watched the whole thing.  Rey blushed.

Nira finally spoke up.  "Supreme Leader, Sir.  We're going to take very good care of you, Sir.."

***

Rey stayed by Ben's side in the MedBay, astounding the doctors and nurses that were attending him.  His concussion wasn't as bad as they initially feared, but he was very tired and complained of dizziness to Rey on the first day.  Rey quietly told the nurses that – knowing that Ben would never tell them himself.

He put on a brave face, but Rey knew he was in really rough shape.  He was still very weak from blood loss.   The bones in his arm and leg were healing rapidly, thanks to the BoneMend, but he would definitely need some time to recover.  She suspected that the pins in his left arm might take awhile to heal enough for him to use it reliably.  Thank the stars it wasn't his dominant saber arm.

On the second day, he joked to her about the burns to the left side of his face, saying that his face wouldn't be quite so pretty the next time she saw it.  Although he had said it jokingly, she could feel a glimmer of concern from him.   Leaning over, she stroked his right cheek.  "You already know that your scars don't bother me.  It doesn't matter if you'll have new ones on your face – it won't make me love you any less."  She wanted to kiss him, but thought that such a public display probably wasn't a good idea.

He felt it through the bond and gave her a sardonic smile.   "I could order everyone out for a few minutes if you'd like."

Rey was appalled.  "No!  They'd know for sure!"

"No, they'd be guessing."  He laughed, not noticing the shocked faces of the two nurses staring at them from their station.

"Well, I for one don't want to have to deal with their stares, so unless you feel that you absolutely can't live without a kiss for another day or two - please don't!"  She huffed at him, blushing nonetheless.

He shrugged, the smirk still on his face.  "Suit yourself.  Let me know if you change your mind. I'd be happy to oblige."

She let out a frustrated growl, and moved closer to whisper in his ear.  "You scared me half to death by almost dying!  When I get you alone I'm not letting you go for an entire day.  And I'm not going to stop kissing you for hours!"

His eyes darkened.  "Then I'll be sure to stage an assassination attempt every so often."  He quipped.

"Don't you dare joke about this!"  She hissed.  "You almost died!"

"I'm really hard to kill, Rey.  Many have tried and failed before this."  He soothed.

"You were bleeding out!  If I weren't there – if I hadn't –"  She bit back a sob, looking away.

At this he became serious. "If you hadn't what?"  He asked.  She kept her face turned away, and remained silent. "Rey.... If you hadn't what?"

When she looked back at him, there were tears streaming down her face.  "Ben – the entire half of the terrace you were on was blown away!   You and the Generals fell two levels.  I don't know how all of you survived!"  She took in a shuddering breath.  "When I found you, you were away from the others, and your leg and arm were clearly broken.   It wasn't until we got onto the shuttle that the alarms went off and the med droids said you were bleeding out from your femoral artery."  Biting back another sob, she told him.  "I....I could feel your Force signature getting weaker and weaker, so I pushed them out of the way and used the Force to stop the internal bleeding – holding it till we got to the ship."  Closing her eyes, she tried to get her emotions under control.  "Ben, if I wasn't there, you would have died!  I would have lost you!" She whimpered.   He could feel her very real fear through the bond.

Reaching out, he wrapped his arm around her, drawing her close, feeling completely stunned and overwhelmed at her tearful revelation.  No one had told him.  She was still sobbing into his neck when he told her.  "I'm sorry.  I didn't know Rey.   I never would have made a joke like that if I did."

Pulling back from him, she looked at him with her tear streaked face.  He wiped the tears from her left cheek with his good hand, and gazed at her with a wealth of emotion.  His tone was serious, his voice quiet and deep when he told her.  "Thank you, Sweetheart, for saving my life. Again."

She looked back at him, confused.  "Again?"

He was still gazing at her intently, continuing to stroke her cheek.   "Rey, you saved my life months ago, that night on Ahch-To."

This only made her sob harder.  He rolled his eyes and pulled her close again, giving her a kiss on her forehead.

At that moment, General Pride entered the MedBay, wanting to brief the Supreme Leader on the status of the other Generals, and their intel on the assassination attempt.   Having witnessed the exchange between the Supreme Leader and the Scavenger, he realized that he had made the right decision in allowing her to stay.  Who would've guessed?  He thought to himself in mild amusement.

He cleared his throat to get their attention, and Rey jumped back as if burned, wiping the tears from her face before she turned to look at him.  "Lady Rey, Supreme Leader, pardon my interruption.  I would like to brief the Supreme Leader, if, um, now is a convenient time?"

Rey stepped back, stuttering.   "Oh, um, don't worry about me.  I'll just, um, be outside."  Before turning to walk away, she told him.  "Oh, General, Thank You for the use of the guest quarters." She smiled warmly.  "The use of the shower and the fresh clothing was very much appreciated." His eyes flicked to the Supreme Leader before giving her a brief nod.  "As well as dealing with the issue in the quarters that day."

He nodded again, before saying meaningfully.  "Don't hesitate to ask if you require anything else, or any other assistance."

Noticing the by-play between them, Kylo's eyes flicked back and forth between Pride and Rey. He'd probably have to get whatever they weren't telling him out of Pride.

She smiled at the General before casting another quick parting glance at Ben.  I'll be back when the General's done she said in his mind, and he gave her a quick nod.

As Rey exited Ben's room, Nira approached her.  "Lady Rey, General Avanti is asking to see you, if you're available?"

Why must they all refer to her as Lady Rey?  "Thank you Nira. But really, please just call me Rey."

Nira looked aghast.  "Oh no – we cannot!"

Rey's forehead wrinkled suspiciously.  "And why the hell not?"

"Because..."  Nira stuttered,  "because... you and the Supreme Leader...well, you're his Lady."

Rey stopped dead in her tracks.  "I'm his whaaaat?"  She quietly shrieked.

"His Lady."  Nira repeated.   "Are you not?"

Rey's mouth opened and closed, clearly at a loss.   Although she had tried not to kiss him, she had failed to consider how just her presence, as well as the rest of her behavior around him, looked to everyone else around them.  "I.....I....."

Nira put her out of her misery by patting her on the shoulder.  "Its okay.  You don't have to say anything.  But everyone will probably continue calling you Lady Rey, just to be safe."  She smiled.

"Um.  Okay."  Rey took a deep breath.  "Where can I find General Avanti?"

"She's in the main MedBay next door.  Come on, I'll take you there.  Pride will probably be with the Supreme Leader for awhile."

***

The main MedBay was much larger, and much busier than the Supreme Leader's.  Rey looked around wide-eyed, having never seen a medical facility of that size.  There was a main reception area, with several corridors that led off of it, presumably to the different departments.

Rey followed Nira as she led her through several different corridors until they came to a windowed room.  "This is General Avanti's room.  Do you think you'll be able to find your way back?"  Nira asked.

"Probably not."  Rey smiled, recalling the maze they had travelled to get here.  "But I'll manage."  Nira nodded and left, while Rey gave a brief knock and entered the room.

Avanti was scrolling through a holopad, looking up when Rey hesitantly walked in.  The General gave her a warm smile.  "Lady Rey, please come in.  I'm so glad you could visit."

Inwardly, Rey cringed.  What the hell?  Lady Rey from her too?  She smiled back at the General. "Nira said you had asked to see me.  How are you feeling?"

"I'm doing very well, thank you.  They're just keeping me here for observation.  I only had a broken wrist as well as some bumps and bruises.  I'm really very lucky."  She smiled again. "Thanks to both you and the Supreme Leader."  Seeing the confusion on Rey's face, the General continued.  "I can see that he didn't tell you."  She paused.  "When the blast hit, he....did something.  Shielded us somehow, protected us from most of the explosion."

Rey's mouth fell open.   "That's why he was away from the rest of you.  I couldn't figure it out."

Avanti nodded.  "Most of our injuries are actually from the fall, and from the debris landing on us."  She confirmed.

"How are the others?"  Rey asked.

"From what the nurses have told me, they're okay.  Same as me – a few broken bones, and minor cuts and bruises.  Needa had some internal injuries, but is doing well."  Pausing again, she began.  "I wanted.... to say thank you for what you did.   You helped rescue us from the debris – and you did it first, before you rescued the Supreme Leader."

Rey blushed, uncomfortable with such appreciation.  "It was nothing, really.  Anyone would have done it."

Avanti gave her another smile.   "No, I don't think so.  You're from the Resistance, so nobody would have expected you to save us.  But you did, and we're all very grateful."

"General Avanti –"  Rey began

"Please, call me Amala."  She said warmly.

Rey smiled back.  "Amala,"  Contemplating her next words, she realized that she wasn't quite sure what to say.  Smiling, she simply told her.  "I'm glad I could help."

Avanti nodded.  "How is the Supreme Leader doing?"

Rey remembered their conversation in the meeting room, and immediately tensed up, hot jealously once again beginning to flare in her belly.  She gently peered into the General's mind, and was surprised at what she saw.  While there was genuine concern about Ben's condition, she could no longer feel any jealousy from Avanti.   Instead, there seemed to be acceptance, and an understanding that the Supreme Leader belonged to someone else – her.  How did that happen?

"Um.  He was pretty seriously injured, but he's doing better."  She replied cautiously.   "Given what you've told me about how he protected the rest of you from the blast, the extent of his injuries makes more sense."  She took a deep breath.  "Even with all of the advanced medical technologies you have here, he'll still probably take awhile to heal completely."

Avanti began hesitantly.  "I overheard a couple of nurses talking....."  Seeing Rey tense, she wasn't sure if she should continue, but decided to forge ahead anyways.   "They said that you basically haven't left his side since he was brought in."  Rey looked away.  "I think that's very sweet."  She told her.

"I.....I was very worried for the first day."  She said quietly.  "He almost bled out on the way back to the ship."

The General's eyes widened upon hearing that.  Her next words were uttered very quietly.  "That must have been frightening for you."

Rey blinked back tears and cleared her throat.  "It was.  I'm very relieved that he's doing so much better."

Avanti reached out her hand to Rey, and gave Rey's a gentle squeeze when she placed her hand in the General's.   "There aren't many women in the higher ranks of the First Order."  She gave Rey a soft smile.   "I'd really like to be friends."

Rey smiled back.  "I think I'd like that too."

***

Upon returning to the Supreme Leader's MedBay a couple of hours later, Rey found a petulant looking Ben waiting for her.

"Where'd you go?"  He asked, a tinge of annoyance in his voice.  "The General left over an hour ago.  I've been getting worried!"

Rey smiled at him, leaning over him to brush a lock of hair from his eye.  "Well hello there.  Nice to see you're feeling better."

He gave her a disgruntled look.  "I've been waiting.  Impatiently.  Getting bored."  He grumbled.

She chuckled.  "Oh, really?  Bored, eh?  Poor baby."  She teased.  Realizing that he was probably still in pain, and hated being confined to the bed, she took pity on him.   "I'm sorry I took so long. I went to visit General Avanti."

His eyes flared momentarily, and she could feel a whisper of unease flow through him.  "Why would you go to see her?  What did she say?"   He asked hesitantly.

Hmmmm.  Interesting.  Rey thought.  This could be fun.  "She asked to see me, and told me what happened."

"What did she say happened?"  He asked, anxiously.

Okay.  Definitely nervous.  "What do you think she said happened?"  She asked, giving him a teasing smile.

"I... I have no idea..."  He stuttered.

"Then why are you acting so weird?"   She sat down in the bedside chair and scooted closer, resting her arms on his bicep and propping her chin on them, waiting.  When he didn't say anything, she continued.  "Why do you look so nervous?"

He continued to look at her, not sure where this was going.   What had Avanti told her?  He didn't think he had been wrong about her interest, but would she have said something to Rey?   And if so, why?  For what purpose?

Rey had to admit, watching him squirm for a few minutes was definitely fun, but she decided to put him out of his misery.  "Avanti wanted to thank me for helping to rescue them from the rubble."  Taking a deep breath, she went on.  "She also told me that she thought you had shielded them – protected them – during the blast.   Is that true?"

She could positively feel the relief rushing through him at her response.  His eyes flicked away from hers for a second, embarrassed.  "Yes."

Reaching out again, she stroked his cheek.  "That was a very admirable, and selfless thing to do." She told him softly.  "You could have protected yourself, but instead you pushed yourself away from them to create a shield big enough, didn't you?"

"Yes."

Very softly, she whispered, smiling.  "You have such a strong sense of honor.  That extent of dedication and loyalty is telling.  You put the protection of your staff – your people - before yourself.  Its what makes you a great leader, and is rare.   That honor - its one of the reasons I fell in love with you Ben."

He gazed at her intently, his eyes never leaving hers, marveling that that this beautiful creature was his.  His mouth opened, but his throat was too tight for anything to come out.    Her smile was tender as she grabbed his hand and placed a kiss on the top of it.  One day.  She thought. One day, he'd be able to say it.  She was sure of it.  He just needed time, and needed to believe that he deserved it.

"Actually, the General also noted that there seems to be some talk."  She told him, blushing.

His demeanour immediately changed.  "What kind of talk?"

"About..... us."  She stuttered, seeing his eyes widen.  "It seems that everyone thinks that they're required to call me Lady Rey."

He tried, and failed to control the quick grin that flashed on his face, before quietly asking her. "Does that bother you?"

"It would seem that everyone is really shocked."  She paused.  "And it doesn't really bother me, I guess – if it doesn't bother you?  But its not necessary for them to call me Lady Rey."

It felt like a knot of tension released in Ben's chest, and he exhaled his breath, not realizing that he had been holding it.  "In their eyes, the title is necessary.  You're the apparent significant other of the Supreme Leader.  It's actually a matter of deference to me – as well as you."

She hadn't thought about it like that.  "Okay.   I guess there's no harm in it."  Leaning closer, it was her turn to smirk as she whispered.  "It certainly seems to have convinced Avanti to give up the idea of any designs on you.  I would have hated for you to see how jealous I was."

Ben's eyes widened to saucers when he realized what she had said.  "Rey – "

She cut him off by laughing and planting a quick kiss on his lips.  "So I guess there's no reason not to do that anymore is there?"  She smiled back at him cheekily.

He was still stunned for a few seconds before he smiled and lifted his hand to the back of her head to draw her in for another soft kiss.  "I suppose not."