A/N - Hi my Reylo Lovelies.  This one's a bit more of a filler chapter, but much needed to move the story along.  As in almost all of my chapters, there's still lots of oooey gooey Reylo goodness to keep your hearts a fluttering.  Enjoy!  Please vote and send me your comments and reactions!

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Leia could only describe her reaction at finally hearing from Rey as stark relief.  Finn and Poe were driving her absolutely crazy, asking 2 or 3 time a day whether she had heard from Rey.   She'd comm'd them to come to her office the moment Connix told her there was an incoming message from Rey on her frequency.   Connix transferred it to her holopad so they could speak in private for a minute or two.

"Rey!  How are you?  Is everything ok?"  She asked, concern evident in her voice.

"Everything is fine Leia.  The people here are treating me well."

She nodded.  "Good.  And.... How is...he?"  She asked tentatively.

Rey smiled softly.   "Ben is fine.  Now.  He was very seriously injured though."  She took a breath. "He almost died Leia.  He just got out of MedBay yesterday, but he's doing much better.  I had to use the Force to help stabilize him till we got him back, or he would have....."  She cleared her suddenly tight throat.  "Their medical equipment and procedures really are quite advanced.   If one of our people was injured in the same way, they probably would have died or would still be in a coma, and would likely never be able to use their arm properly again."

Leia closed her eyes and fought off the shiver that went through her.  She could feel that he had been critically injured.  She had almost lost him forever, without really getting him back.   "Thank goodness you were there Rey."

"He saved them Leia.  He used the Force to save his Generals."  She told her quietly.  "And they love him for it."

Leia blinked back tears, and smiled proudly, before clearing her throat.  "I'm glad......When do think you'll be coming back?"

That was the question Rey had been dreading.   "I'm really not sure....maybe a couple more days?"

Leia simply nodded just as Finn and Poe burst into her office.  "Is she still on?  Let me speak to her!"  Were the first words out of Poe's mouth.

"I have two very anxious young men here that would like to speak with you Rey."  Leia told her on a laugh.  "Don't trip over yourselves boys."

Rey could see both Finn and Poe's faces appear, pushing at each other to be able to see her.   "Guys, I'm fine.  There is no need for you to be so panicked!"  She laughed.

"We've been so worried!"  Poe injected.  "What happened to you?"

She wrinkled her nose.   "What do you mean what happened?   I went with the First Order crew to help.  Some of them were very badly injured and I had to use the Force to help stabilize one of them until we got back to their ship."

"So why are you still there?"  Finn challenged.

Rey took a breath to tamp down her rising temper.  "Because Finn, someone had just made an attempt on the Supreme Leader's life, and if we want to make peace with them we need to make sure he stays alive."  She paused.  "It was actually a good thing that I rescued them all and helped keep them alive, otherwise they would have suspected that we were behind the attack!"

"So what?"  Asked Poe.  "Then they would have feared us, at least."

Rey's lips thinned and she took a minute to compose herself, deciding that now was a good time to end the conversation.  "I'll see you guys when I get back.  Can you please give the holopad back to Leia now?"

"When are you coming back?"  Finn asked bluntly.

"Probably in a couple of days."

"Why are you staying there?"  He asked angrily.

Her voice was gentle, but her eyes were steel.  "Because Finn, I want to.  The people here are actually quite nice, and are for the most part treating me very well – considering that I'm Resistance Scum to them.  But seeing as I saved the lives of four of their people, I have earned some grudging respect.  And trust me, my being here is doing good for us when we continue the negotiations."

Both Finn and Poe practically growled at that, but it was Poe who finally spoke.   "Rey, I want you back here in two days.  If you don't report in by then, I will be coming to get you."

They couldn't see that Ben was beside her, but she felt his anger spike, and waived her hand at him out of their view to let him know not to say anything.  "Poe, I appreciate your concern, but I will return when I decide the time is right, unless Leia orders me back sooner.  So can you please give the holopad back to her now?"

Poe's mouth dropped open in shock, but he turned and handed the unit back to Leia, who told her.  "I'll see you in a few days Rey.  Please comm me to confirm when you'll be returning."

"Thank you Leia.  I will.  I'll see you soon."  A beep could be heard as she signed off.

"See!!??"  Poe yelled.  "I told you he did something to her!"

"Poe."  Leia sighed.  "What are you talking about?  There was nothing in that message that tells me that Rey is any different than normal."

"Staying with the First Order by choice, for no reason, is not normal behavior for Rey."  Finn stated, in a flat tone.

Leia took a deep breath.  "Was it not you two nerfherders that told me that you think you caught her kissing Kylo Ren on Coruscant?"

They looked at each other, clearly perplexed before focusing back onto Leia.  "So?"

"So, doesn't it stand to reason that she may actually want to stay there for a few more days?   With him?  To make sure he's okay?"

They both answered in unison.   "Not Rey."

She shook her head.  "Boys, I think you have some unreasonable perceptions and expectations of Rey."  She looked at both of them pointedly.   "She is a young woman, who grew up alone, with no family."  Taking a deep breath, she continued.  "While she may have found some extent of that here with us, maybe, just maybe she needed something that neither of you could give her."

"Like what?"  Poe scoffed.

At this, Leia finally lost her temper.  "Like a teacher, Poe!  Gods you two are thick!  Kylo is likely the last fully trained Force user in the Galaxy – in both the Dark and the Light.  Do you not think she might be drawn to that?  Especially if she started hearing that he was working to do good things in the systems under First Order rule?   Like abolishing slavery – she's pretty sensitive to that – as well as building infrastructure on impoverished planets – I'd say she's pretty sensitive to that too..."  She shook her head and went on.  "Poe, who was in my office the day I told you to evacuate Lothal?  How do you think she knew about the impending attack?"

"No Leia, I don't care."  His face was hard as he continued.  "He's playing some sort of game – with us, and with her.  Two days.  If she's not back here, I will go and get her!"

"Poe-"  but she didn't get to finish, as both of them had already stormed out of her office.  She put her head in her hands and tried to calm her breathing.  This likely went a lot deeper than Poe let on.  She knew he saw himself in love with Rey, and suspected that he simply couldn't accept that she would choose even a calmer, no longer monstrous Kylo Ren over him.  This was going to be a problem, but she had no idea how to stop it.

***

True to her word, Rey didn't bother Ben as he settled in to work for part of the day in his quarters.  Normally, she would have been bored out of her mind with nothing to do, but after returning from the call with Leia, she felt overwhelmingly tired, and decided to take a morning nap.  There was no way she'd get such a luxury on base, as there was always something to be done.  Smiling at Ben, she kissed his temple and told him that she was going to lie down for awhile.   He just nodded, already engrossed in the reports he was reading on his holopad.   Surprisingly, she was out like a light minutes later.

The dream began innocently enough.  She was outdoors, wearing a simple, but long, loose dress.   Unsure of her surroundings, she seemed to be strolling through a meadow, full of beautiful wildflowers, carrying a broad basket.  Every now and then, she'd stop to pick a particularly lovely flower and place it in the basket.   After a while, she came to a grove, and began picking pink fruits off of a tree.  Bringing one of the fruits to her lips, she took a healthy bite, wiping away the juices dribbling down her chin with a smile.

She stopped and took a deep breath, gazing at the stunning natural beauty around her.  All she could feel was happiness.  An overwhelming sense of contentment and peace.  Suddenly, a foreboding feeling shivered through her.  Where was Ben?  Why wasn't he here with her?  At that moment, she could feel the bond connect, and Ben stood before her in full Kylo Ren attire.

Momentarily taken aback, she pushed the feeling of dread from her and smiled at him.  "Ben, I'm so glad you're here."

He stood looking at her.  Unmoving.  Silent.   Angry.

"Ben?  What's wrong?"  She asked in confusion.

"You dare to ask me that?"  He spat.  "After what you've done?"

She looked at him in confusion, a whisper of fear flowing through her.  "I don't understand...Ben?  What do you think I've done?"

His face hardened even further.  "You still play the innocent!"  She could feel his rage threatening to overwhelm him.  "You betrayed me!  Left with him!  Gave yourself to him!"  He ended on an anguished roar.  "You will pay!"

Her eyes widened to saucers as alarm and shock registered in her mind.   For the first time since Takodana, she became truly afraid of him.  Afraid of his anger.  Afraid of what he believed she'd done.   "Ben – wait - no!  I would never betray you – never!  Why would you even think that?  I love you!  You know that!"

"I know no such thing!"  He screamed in raw anger.

"Ben – please!  Listen to me –"  She cried frantically, but he cut her off.

His tone was low and ominous.  "Goodbye Rey."  The connection ended and he disappeared.

She collapsed to her knees, sobbing.   "Ben.  No.  Please.  Come back."

Just then, she heard a sonic boom from above, and saw a massive First Order battle cruiser jump out of hyperspace.  She stared at it in awe – sure she'd never seen such a large vessel before.  As she continued to stare, she noticed an orange beam emanate from the ship and hit the planet's surface in the distance.  She could see a huge cloud of fire and debris spreading outward, consuming everything in its path.

It was at that moment that she realized what Ben's goodbye meant.   "No......"  He was blowing up the planet that she was on – and her with it.  She screamed in terror as the fiery cloud moved to engulf her.

***

Kylo jumped and dropped his holopad upon hearing her ear shattering scream.   "Rey!"  He yelled, racing over to the bed.  Her eyes were closed and she was breathing heavily, thrashing around on the bed.  He shook her gently, trying to wake her.  "Rey.   Sweetheart, wake up!  You're having a nightmare!"

His voice finally registered in her mind and she snapped awake, shrinking back from him when she saw how close he was to her.   He dropped his arms away and sat back at her obvious fear. She could see the flash of hurt and confusion in his eyes, and realized that this was no longer part of her nightmare.

"Ben?"  She asked quietly, reaching out for him.  He took a deep breath and leaned forward to wrap her in his arms.

"Are you okay?"  He asked quietly.  "That must have been some nightmare."

"It's fine."  She told him quickly, not wanting to talk about what she saw in her dream.

He narrowed his gaze at her.  It was clear she didn't want him to know what it had been about.   "What did you see?"

"It was nothing."  She responded, her breathing starting to calm.   "Just a jumble of different things.  Don't worry about it."

"Rey...."

"Ben, it's fine.  I really don't want to talk about it."  When she felt the tendrils of his Force in her mind, she snapped.  "Don"t!  Stay out of my head Kylo!"

He sucked in a breath.  She never called him Kylo.  "Fine.  I'm sorry."  Wanting to find something to dispel the sudden awkwardness he asked.  "Are you hungry?   I can request lunch if you'd like?"

Hearing her stomach growl, the corner of his lip twitched up slightly.  "I'll take that as a yes."

Rey watched as he got up from the bed and went to order their meal.  She looked at him tremulously, recalling what she had experienced.   In her dream, he seemed to think she'd betrayed him for another.  But who?  Likely Poe, given his sensitivity to "the pilot".   Then he blew up the planet, with her on it.  Knowingly killing her.  She shuddered, and swallowed a lump in her throat.

It was just a stupid dream – a nightmare.  The person in that nightmare wasn't Ben.  It wasn't even the Kylo Ren she knew.  He was darker, angrier, more sinister than her Kylo.  Taking a deep breath, she pushed it from her mind.  It was just a bad dream.  He would never do that.....

***
The rest of the day passed relatively slowly for Rey.  Ben remained busy, reading reports and making calls on his holopad.  She overheard him angrily speaking of the Vandorians on one of the calls, where he received confirmation that it was indeed them who made the attempt on his life.  His eyes flicked to Rey with a hint of remorse when she heard him give the order.  "Very well.  Take out their militia.   And a second slave trading operation."

She could feel his unease with the decision through the bond.   "I'm sorry you had to do that." She told him.  "But I understand your reasons."  Shaking her head, she continued.  "You tried to do what's right for the galaxy – slavery should be illegal – and instead, they not only ignore your edict, but they try to kill you as well."  His lips thinned into a tight line, and he gave her a curt nod, but she could feel his relief trickle through to her, before he turned and went back to work.

He had given her an extra holopad as a source of entertainment, but she wasn't really into any of the dramatic video series that could be found.  Instead, she looked up and studied ship schematics, in order to familiarize herself with newer vessels and technologies.   Like usual, her understanding of the ship systems came almost naturally, and she became engrossed with the intricacies of various parts and sub-systems.  She didn't even notice that he had come up behind her, until she heard his amused snort.  "Really?  That's what you've been passing the time with?"

She narrowed her gaze at him.  "And why not?  I happen to be an excellent mechanic, and am interested in some of the newer technology that I sometimes come across in our ships."  Tilting her head, she asked.  "If you weren't working, what type of things would you enjoy looking at to pass the time?"

He looked away for a minute before returning his gaze to her.   "I like to read.  About different things.  Sometimes its about different planets, and their unique features – atmospheres, ecosystems etcetera, and other times I read about the physics of space travel, hyperspeed, and the scientific basis of new types of propulsion systems, fuel sources, and things like that."  His lip quirked.  "And sometimes l like to look up ship schematics...I guess we have that in common."

At that, Rey rolled her eyes and shook her head, setting the holopad aside.

"Are you hungry?"  He asked.   "I can have dinner brought in."

She smiled up at him from the sofa.  "I'm always hungry.  I never say no to food."

His lip twitched.   "I noticed.  I don't know how you stay so thin, with the amount you actually eat!"

Shrugging she told him.  "I'm actually not that thin anymore.   You should have seen me before I met the Resistance – I was almost skin and bones!"  She quipped.   A feeling of sadness reached her and she got up to wrap her arms around him.  "Hey, don't feel sad for what my life was – same as you don't want me to pity you.  It all led me to you...."  Leaning up on her toes, she kissed him tenderly, before easing down to snuggle her face into his chest again for a little while.   As she let go, she gave him a soft peck on the chest and smiled up at him.  "Now, where's my food?"

***

Later that night, Rey sleepily lay in bed, engulfed by Ben, who was wrapped around her, his chest to her back.  Like usual, as they fell asleep, he liked to nuzzle her neck, her ear, her hair – planting stray kisses here and there until they drifted off.  It was one of her favourite times of the day.  When they were together like this, she always felt so cherished, and when he was like this she couldn't hold a thought in her head.   She was getting used to drifting off to an overwhelming sense of peace and contentment, and decided that she wouldn't mind ending each day like this for the rest of her life.  That thought brought a secret smile to her lips, and Ben could feel it spark through the bond.

"What are you thinking about?"

Nuzzling herself backward, closer into him, she sighed contentedly, whispering softly.  "That I love how this feels, and that I want to fall asleep like this for the rest of my life..."

His heart stuttered, and his eyes drifted closed at the warmth that blossomed in his chest, at what she had unknowingly revealed to him.  For the rest of her life..... He grasped her tighter, and snuggled her even more deeply into him, trying to absorb her into his very being.  Suddenly, the words were there, ready to quietly burst out of him... but his stubborn throat closed up at the last second.  He swallowed the lump in his throat in frustration.

Rey could feel his struggle.  Felt the sudden joy – the calm elation that flowed through him – followed by a feeling of helplessness and frustration, and knew what caused it.   His distress caused a pang in her heart.  Although she could admit that she wanted to hear the words, she didn't need to hear them.  The only reason she wanted him to be able to say them is that it would represent another step on his path to forgiving himself.   A step towards believing that he was worthy of love, and deserved it.

She moved her hand down to cover his, and threaded their fingers together, tears pricking at her eyes.   "I love you Ben."  Taking a shuddering breath, she continued.  "Now, throughout this lifetime, and even beyond.  But what we share is so much more than that – its stronger; deeper.   Its more than any words can describe.  Know that – trust in that.  I do."  She could feel him take a shuddering breath, and nod behind her, as he gave her a hard squeeze, burying his face in her neck.

"I know."  He whispered quietly.   "I know."

He breathed in her scent, letting it calm him.  After a minute he spoke.  "The doctor has cleared me to begin physical training again tomorrow.  Would you like to join me?  Our training room is pretty amazing."

She twisted around to look at him.   "Are you sure you're ready for that?"

Chuckling, he told her.  "We'll start slow.  Just light sparring with staves – I need to get the arm and the leg moving.  No epic lightsaber battles just yet."

Her eyes searched his to see if he was keeping anything from her.   He just quirked his brow and gave her a slight smirk, waiting for her response.  Satisfied that he was in fact cleared to do this, she gave him a small smile.  "I'd like that.  If I have to spend another day browsing the holopad I'll go out of my mind.  And besides, training with you is fun."

"Good."  He told her.  "I enjoy training with you too.  Besides, you're the only one who can keep up with me."  He told her with a smirk.   Giving her one last kiss on the neck, Kylo waved his hand to dim the lights, and they were both sound asleep less than a minute later, still cocooned in each other's arms.