A/N - Hopefully you're enjoying the story so far!  Again, a little more Reylo heat... we'll get there, bit by bit :)

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Several weeks passed without a visit.  She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or bad, but she was starting to miss him again.  Especially after how the last visit ended.  It took her days to get it out of her head, but if her mind drifted at all, it would pop back in.

Its not like she was just sitting around waiting for him to visit.  She'd been busy going on recruiting missions with Finn and Poe, trying to slowly build the resistance numbers again. They'd been quite successful, having brought in more than 100 new members in the last few months.  She hoped that they wouldn't need them – with the changes that Ben wanted to make – that they could find peace with the First Order, sooner rather than later.

These missions were generally fun.  Sure they got into a few scrapes and tight situations sometimes, but that was just a part of life now.  And she was so happy that her and Finn got to spend time together again, as well as getting to know Poe.  Sometimes she'd get a funny feeling from Poe, when his eyes would linger on her for just a second too long, but she brushed it away as her imagination.  He was, after all, a complete flirt with all females!

It was during one of these missions that she tried get a sense of what Finn and Poe would think of a different First Order.  They were sitting in the Falcon, eating their rations at the end of the day, and just hanging out.   She tried to sound as nonchalant as possible when she brought it up. "Guys, do you think this war will ever end?"

"Of course!"  Poe answered. "Once we build our numbers back up, we need to come up with a concrete plan to crush them once and for all!"  Finn nodded his agreement.

"Yes, but the First Order will always outnumber us. They have literally thousands – maybe even hundreds of thousands of members.  How are we supposed to crush them?  Do we try to eliminate and annihilate them all, just like they're trying to do to us?  Many of them are just people – just like us – who happen to be on the other side, the wrong side to us.  Is it right for us to kill them all?" she sighed "It just doesn't feel right to me."

Poe seemed taken aback. "Rey, you do realize these people are evil right?   They kill people! They'd kill us in a heartbeat if we let them.  Where is this coming from?"

Rey just shook her head. "I don't know Poe, but I don't think that all – or even most of them – could possibly be evil.  Finn, you were there – are they evil?   Or just doing their jobs? Misguidedly?"

After thinking about it for a minute, Finn answered.   "I guess I never really thought about what "defeating the First Order" would really mean."  He took a deep breath. "I've always just focused on winning each battle – which means surviving - rather than the big picture.  They took me from my family, and for that I consider them to be evil.  But Rey might be right.   Although there are definitely some truly evil people in the First Order, there are a lot of good people there too – especially in the lower ranks.  And many of them are not there by choice.   I don't think we can just kill them all.  That doesn't seem right."

"I can't believe what I'm hearing!"  Poe spat. "What do you propose then?"

Rey sighed. "I'm not sure Poe, but I do know that we can't keep fighting the same battle again and again.  We're not really changing anything."  She hesitated before saying, "What if the First Order changed how they governed?"

Both Finn and Poe responded at the same time, with a shocked "Whaaat?"  They just stared before Poe continued.  "What do you think Rey, that they're suddenly just going to turn over a new leaf?  Suddenly stop taking over systems and bending them to their will?  Do you not know who their Supreme Leader is?  Let me refresh your memory!  He's Kylo-freaking-Ren!  A maniacal monster who tortures and kills anyone who stands in his way!!"  Poe yelled.

Rey sighed, knowing that Kylo Ren was a sore subject for both Poe and Finn. "Of course I know who their leader is – you know I do.  But he's they're new leader.  Their old leader was pure evil incarnate – the most powerful Dark Force user we've seen since the Emperor, and I'm pretty sure had some sort of mind control over Kylo Ren.  Remember, he used to be Ben Solo, so there is a human being in there somewhere.  What if, just what if, now that Snoke is dead, the Supreme Leader is more Ben Solo than Kylo Ren?  He is after all, Leia's son, and would've learned how to lead by watching her do so."

Poe just looked at her incredulously, opening and closing his mouth.  Nothing came out.

"Never gonna happen."  Finn answered sarcastically. "I've seen the man order an entire village to be slaughtered.  Trust me – he is evil."

Rey let that hang in the air for a minute before answering. "Ok, fine, I get you.   But what if it did happen?  Then what?  Couldn't we negotiate with them for some sort of peace treaty?"

"When Bantha's fly."  Poe shot back.

"That's not what I asked.  WHAT IF IT DID??"  Rey looked between the two of them. "Wouldn't we owe it to ourselves, to the galaxy, to explore it?"

"Yeah we would."  Poe drawled out. "But like Finn said, never gonna happen.  So keep dreaming."  He paused before continuing. "The only way we're going to win this war is to take out the Supreme Leader."

Rey's stomach dropped, and she tried to keep her expression neutral. "Do you even know who the second in command is?"

Poe smiled hugely. "Sure I do! Its my best buddy General Hugs!"

Rey was quiet when she answered him "And while Kylo Ren is the scary monster that goes into battle and kills hundreds - which over time I am sure has been thousands, Hux is a power hungry fiend who builds weapons that have destroyed entire planets and killed billions!"  she didn't even blink – her angry gaze focused intently on Poe as she continued "Snoke, and Hux were responsible for Starkiller Base, and the destruction of the Hosnian System.  Take out Kylo Ren and Hux would be the next Supreme Leader.  And on and on it goes.  Till we're all dead and the Resistance is no more."

"Why would you think that Hux was solely responsible for the Hosnian System?  You don't think that Ren was part of that decision?  And how would you even know that anyways?"  asked Poe.

"I just do."

"Careful Rey.  You're deluding yourself if you honestly believe that."  Poe shook his head and walked away.

Rey sighed to herself, looking over at Finn.  He just looked at her and shrugged. "I know what you're saying Rey, but I kind of agree with Poe.  Ren is a monster."

"Finn, how many people do you think were on Starkiller when we blew it up?"  she asked

"I don't know, probably thousands?"  he looked at her, unsure.

"So we've killed thousands too.  I'll bet the First Order calls us monsters....".  With that, Rey turned and walked away.  She guessed she had her answer.  She only hoped that Leia would be more accepting.

**

Rey used the Force to dodge the blaster fire from the two Stormtroopers that were chasing her. They were on yet another recruiting mission, this time to Coruscant and this one had gone awry. A small squad of First Order troopers had been in the city, and had recognized the trio while meeting with a contact in a cantina bar.  Someone had probably reported them to the squad.

They had barely made it out, overturning tables and shoving other bar customers out of the way. They ran down the street and ducked into an alley, the Stormtroopers in close pursuit - but then they got separated.  Finn and Poe ducked one way, and Rey went another.

Rey continued running through the alley, feeling them gaining on her.  Looking back, she extended her arm and used the Force to push the closest of the troopers away, smashing him into the wall.  The other kept on coming and firing at her.  Damn!  I really need a new saber!  she thought to herself.  Her adrenaline spiked.  The blaster bolts were getting closer and closer, and she knew that if she didn't do something now, he'd eventually hit her.

Stopping in her tracks and turning toward him, she held out her hand, and used the Force to stop the 2 bolts and the trooper that were currently headed toward her.  Uh oh.  She thought. Now what?  She needed to fling the trooper against the wall to knock him out, but she wasn't sure that she could do that while still holding the two bolts.  She'd have to try to do it and dodge the bolts in case she lost control of her hold.   Flicking her wrist to smash the Stormtrooper into the wall, she lost her focus on the bolts and dove to the side as they released, but not quick enough to avoid one of them.  The bolt hit her in the side, and she cried out in pain, feeling the searing heat tear through her side.  Hissing when she pressed her hand to the area, she saw that it was covered in blood, just before passing out from the pain.

**

Kylo sat through his last meeting of the day, mostly satisfied with the progress that he was seeing from his team of Officers.  General Pride was just wrapping up a summary of their efforts to implement the slavery ban on 6 planets.  He knew that there were many more to go, but these were the most common ones that everybody knew were the place to go to buy a slave.  All but one willingly cooperated with the First Order, and even assisted them in dealing with the slave traders.

All traders were given the chance to willingly cease their operations and walk away, or were immediately arrested.  The ones that took the deal were told that if they were ever caught trading again, even elsewhere, they'd be executed immediately.  A few of the traders resisted arrest and were killed during the arrest process, but a few casualties were expected in these types of endeavors.

Pride finished his report and General Both commenced his report on the status of their new flagship – the Ascendancy.  Kylo had commissioned it immediately after the Supremacy was destroyed.  It was going to be bigger, better and faster than the Supremacy ever was.  Based on Both's report, it was scheduled for completion in the next 2 – 3 months, and he would take up permanent residency on it at that point.

Rey drifted into his thoughts again for probably the hundredth time that day.  He sighed and tried to push the thought away, but he wondered what she'd think of his progress.  It was getting harder and harder not to think of her, but he couldn't afford this constant distraction.  He knew he was avoiding her, but there was simply too much to do.  If he kept visiting her regularly it broke his focus, and he was distracted for days afterward.  He sighed.  She was definitely becoming his weakness.  A vision of her face and those hazel eyes passed through his mind, along with the memory of their last connection.  He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, as he yet again felt the stirrings of arousal.

Frustratedly, he clenched his fists, and tried to clear his mind of her.  It was a constant struggle, and he felt more and more that he was losing the battle.  Suddenly, he felt a sharp spike of adrenaline out of nowhere.  His heart started to race, and a sense of panic built. What the hell? he thought.  Schooling his features so the others in the room would not see his concern, he reached out to try to figure out what was going on.

It was Rey, he was certain of it.  Something was happening with her.  A prickle of fear ran down his spine.  She was unprotected – didn't have a light saber, only her staff.  An unexpected jolt of pain hit him in the side, causing a sudden intake of his breath.  A few of the others glanced over to him, but he remained completely still, appearing to be focused on General Both.  The pain burned through him, causing a sheen of sweat to break out on his forehead.  His fear for her grew.  She was hurt!  He had to get to her – fast!

He calmly raised his hand, index finger up. "General,"  he asked evenly "while I appreciate the thoroughness of your report, have you finished providing the important details?"

Caught off guard, the general looked back with wide eyes, and responded hesitantly. "Yes....yes Sir."

"Good.  It's getting late. That will be all for today.  This meeting is adjourned.  Everyone dismissed – enjoy your evening."  With that, Kylo got up from his chair and exited the conference room quickly, heading to his quarters, leaving a room full of bewildered looking Officers behind. All of them were looking around thinking the same thing. Since when does the Supreme Leader tell them to enjoy their evening?  As usual, Hux simply glared at him as he left.

He raced to his quarters at record speed, getting some weird looks from staff and Stormtroopers that he passed – all quickly stepping out of his way.  When he got there, he immediately closed his eyes and reached out to find her Force signature.  Finding her, he moved his mind toward it, and felt the bond connect.  Opening his eyes, he found himself in a dark alley.  Looking around, he saw a Stormtrooper slumped over against a wall unconscious, and not far away, found her on the ground, a bloody stain visible on the side of her shirt.  For a brief second, his heart stopped, seeing her like that.  But she was clearly alive because he could feel her.  Racing over, he leaned down, feeling her pulse beating strong, and gently lifted her head. "Rey?   Rey, can you hear me? Wake up."  He gently stroked her cheek, his chest tight and fear still flowing through his blood.

He moved his hand down to her wound, and pulled back her top to expose it.  It was just a deep scratch, and he let out a relieved breath.  The blood was beginning to clot and dry, and it was no longer bleeding profusely.   It probably hurt like hell, but it looked like she would be fine.

She came to as he touched her wound again, groaning softly.  Her eyelids fluttered open, and she gazed up at him in surprise. "Ben?  What are you doing here?"  she asked softly.

His gaze narrowed, and he frowned at her, practically growling. "I could ask you the same question!"  Taking a deep breath he asked. "First of all, where the hell are you?  And secondly, what the hell happened to you?"

Her awareness sharpened as his tone registered.  He was angry.   Sitting up, she saw the Stormtrooper and remembered. "We're in the Old Market Sector, on Coruscant doing some recruiting.  Unfortunately it looks like someone recognized us and reported us to a small squad of First Order troops that were in the city."

She's acting as if nothing had happened!  he thought.  Trying to calm his emotions, he continued taking deep breaths.   "You were shot by a blaster!  You were lucky!  Its just a deep scratch, and has mostly stopped bleeding, but you need to get it treated."  He huffed out a breath, and inhaled deeply, trying to calm himself further. "How badly does it hurt?"  he asked her quietly, concern evident in his tone.

Reaching out, she took his hand, and squeezed. "It burns, but if it's just a scratch, it should be fine."  She moved to get up, but started feeling woozy, and plopped back down onto her butt quickly.

Growling again, he wrapped his arm around her and helped her up. "Where is your ship?"

Hearing the impatience in his voice, she tried to shrug her way out of his grip, but he held tight. "So sorry to inconvenience you Supreme Leader!"  she spat. "I didn't ask you to come here!  What are you even doing here anyways?"

He continued to try to help her walk out of the alley, but it was awkward, causing him to hunch over because of the difference in their heights.   Growling yet again, he scooped her up into his arms, bridal style and carried her out of the alley.

Protesting vehemently, she struggled against his hold.   "Wait!  What are you doing?  Stop!  Put me down!  I can walk dammit!"

Looking down at her angry face, he realized that he liked holding her in his arms like this.  It reminded him of when he took her from the forest on Takodana.   However, he didn't want her to know how much he was enjoying it.  "No, you can't walk unsupported, and it was damn uncomfortable for me.  So stop struggling and tell me where your ship is!"

"Wait – you can see my surroundings through the bond now?"  she asked incredulously.

He nodded.  "Where is your ship?"

Huffing out a frustrated breath she told him  "Docking bay H-21 at the main station – but Finn and Poe will probably already be there, and they'll flip if they see you!  And since you're touching me, I'm pretty sure they will!"

He looked down at her with a sarcastic smirk. "So you're telling me they would just give up on looking for you and wait for you to return on your own?  Such brave, loyal friends you have."

He really seemed to want to piss her off for some reason, but she didn't know why.  "Look, I didn't ask you to come here – and as a matter of fact you still haven't answered my question? Since you don't seem too happy to be here, why the hell did you come?"

Suddenly, he looked away.  It took him a minute to answer, before mumbling.  "I felt your fear and panic.  And then your pain, so I knew something was wrong, that you were probably hurt." His eyes flicked back to her, softer now.

She sighed, her anger evaporating.  He connected because he was worried.  He wanted to make sure she was okay.  Raising her hand to his cheek, she touched him before softly uttering  "Thank you."  She wrapped her arms a little tighter around his neck and snuggled into his chest.  Her side still burned, but she felt better in his arms.  Safe.  Almost content.

His heart stuttered at the contact, and his breathing quickened at the feeling that she was burrowing her face against his chest.  The tightness there began to loosen, and he could finally breathe a bit easier.

She felt his arms grasp her tighter, as he pulled her even closer, and swore she felt him lightly kiss the top of her head.  This was her Ben.  He was angry because he was worried – likely not knowing how to deal with or show his emotions in any other way.  But he clearly cared for her – cared for her safety, and that sent a warm, fuzzy feeling through her, causing her heart to speed up, and making her smile.

As he continued to carry her through the alleys, she realized that she was close enough to smell his scent.  He smelled good.  Clean, woodsy, masculine.  She leaned in closer to his neck, closed her eyes, and inhaled deeply.  Almost as if under a spell, she moved closer still and did it again, nuzzling her nose against his neck.  She heard his sharp inhale, and felt the shudder that coursed through him at her soft touch.

"What are you doing?!"  he bit out sharply.

His voice snapped her out of the trance.  Embarrassed at being caught, she hid her face from him. "I...I was..."  she sighed. "I'm sorry.  You smell kind of nice."  She told him shyly.

He was dumbfounded by her quiet admission, and had no clue how to respond to that. "Oh." Was all he could say.  Leaning over, he gently sniffed her back.

Rey felt his movement and glanced up at him, noticing a slight smirk on his lips.

"What?"  she asked.  He just shook his head at her. "No, really, what?"

The smirk got even bigger, as he looked away from her.   Finally, he answered  "You don't."

Her brow wrinkled, trying to figure out what he meant.  When she realized, she gasped. "Hey, I was on the Falcon for almost a day, and then chased out of a bar by a bunch of Stormtroopers! Sorry if I don't smell like a flower."  She huffed.

Leaning down, he chuckled, before murmuring.  "I'm kidding Rey."

Still looking at him, her gaze narrowed, clearly saying she didn't believe him.  He gave her another smirk, shrugged, and continued on.  Rey blew out a breath, and looked at his neck once again.  It seemed to call to her, and she just wanted to be closer to him.  Her arms still encircled his neck, and she leaned back up as if to sniff him once again.  Kylo felt her movement, smirked and rolled his eyes.  This time though, she tightened her grip and pulled herself even closer, nuzzling intentionally before placing a soft kiss at the base of his neck.

Kylo stopped dead in his tracks, sucking in his breath, when he felt her soft kiss.  He couldn't help the strangled sound that escaped him when he felt her continue to kiss his neck.  His member hardened instantly, and he began to breathe heavily. "Rey..."  her name came out as a croak.

"Mmmm..?"

"What are you...why....please stop."  He pleaded on a shudder.

Hearing him ask her to stop filled her with anxiety and embarrassment.  Although he was still holding her, she shrunk away from him in humiliation, and her eyes became glassy. "I...I'm sorry."

He took a deep breath, blowing it out slowly, trying to clear his head before he spoke. "Rey.  No. Don't apologize."  It was then he noticed her tears.  "Please don't cry.  We're in the middle of a dangerous part of the city and...and I need to stay focused.  To keep you safe."

She looked up at him, eyes still glassy, but wide and luminous. "That's why you asked me to stop?"  she whispered quietly.

"Yes."  He swallowed thickly. "It felt..."  he closed his eyes and exhaled.  "I didn't want you to stop."  his eyes opened to show her his lustful gaze.

The look in his eyes almost stopped her heart.   Her smile was radiant as she leaned up and gave him one last kiss on the neck.  He closed his eyes as he heard her whisper. "Okay."

A ghost of a smile appeared on his lips as he gave her a small nod and started walking again.

Raising her head, she looked around  "How do you even know where you're going, anyway?"

Shrugging, he replied. "I've been literally everywhere.  And here most of all.  When I was younger, both my mother and my father dragged me here countless times.  I probably know it better than where I grew up."

"Where did you grow up?"  she asked.  When he spoke about his past, it made her think that there really was hope for him.  And she was very curious about what he was like as a child, and a young teen before being sent away to Luke's academy.

"Chandrilla."  He told her, gazing down at her. "Its beautiful there.  If you ever get the chance to go, you should."

Rey was suddenly shy, looking away briefly before returning her gaze to him.  "Maybe you could show me one day."

Chandrilla was literally the only place in the galaxy that held the relatively few happy memories he had in his life.  His heart pounded in his chest, and his intense gaze was filled with an unnamed emotion, as he simply nodded at her slowly, too overcome by thought of taking her to his childhood home to even speak.

Placing her hand on his cheek again, she whispered  "I think I'd like that."

He leaned into her palm, relishing the feel of the simple touch, and the effect of her softly spoken words.  Her hand gently moved and stroked through his hair and over his ear, her nails gently raking his scalp.  His breathing sped up, and she could see his eyes darken as he tilted his face down, closer to her, while her hand at the back of his head gently guided him toward her. Their eyes never left each other's as the space between them slowly closed.

She wanted him to kiss her.  Her heart was pounding in her chest, and everything inside of her was thrumming with anticipation.  Even the Force felt like it was pleasantly vibrating between them, seemingly in harmony.

A loud shout in the distance snapped them out of the moment. It was her name being called. They looked around quickly, but couldn't see anyone.  Then they heard it again, still in the distance.  It was clearly Finn's loud, desperate shout.

It took a few seconds for Ben to gather his wits. "It would seem that your friends are loyal after all."  He said, completely deadpan.

"And brave?"  she looked up at him with a mocking smile.

"That is yet to be seen."  She lightly punched him in the shoulder, and he smirked.  "Do you think you can walk now?"  he asked gently.

"I think so.  You'd better go – or at least put me down so they don't see you.   If I call to them, I'm sure they'll be able to hear me now."  he nodded, but was still hesitant to release her from his arms.  She touched his face lightly again. "I'll be fine Ben, and we'll see each other again soon, right?"  he just nodded again, still staring down at her intently.

He wanted to kiss her – she could feel it.   Her heart sped up.  She wanted him to, but didn't want to risk it with Finn and Poe so near.  So instead, she boldly did what she considered to be the next best thing.  She gently kissed two of her fingers, and brought them to his lips, whispering "Till next time."

His breath hitched, and his lips parted in surprise at her action.  He gently put her down, and lightly grabbed onto her wrist, holding her fingers to his lips.  Recalling how their last connection ended, he gently kissed her fingers in response, and parting his lips once again, slowly flicked the tip of his tongue over her fingertips.

She gasped at his returned 'kiss', and the soft brush of his tongue over the pad of her fingers.  Her gaze was locked with his, as heat shot straight to her belly and the area between her thighs. Maker, how did such an innocent act turn into this?

He released her wrist, and both let their arms fall to their sides – gazes still unmoving from one another, both breathing heavily.  Both wanting to take one more step closer to each other. Suddenly Rey heard Poe much closer and turned around to see him running towards her. Thankfully they were no longer touching, so Poe couldn't see Ben.  She smiled sadly at him one last time before turning to walk towards Poe.

"Rey!  Rey, you're okay!  Wait, no, you're hurt!  What the hell happened?  Where did you go?"  he barreled into her and wrapped his arms around her.  Rey gave him a quick hug, glancing back to see Ben still standing there, eyes literally on fire.

"Poe, I'm fine. Its just a little scratch – its not even bleeding any more."  She tried taking a few steps but realized that she was still woozy.  Poe wrapped his arm around her waist to support her as they walked back towards the Falcon.  Oh no! she thought.  Ben is not going to like watching this.

She could hear his response in her head, as clear as day.  You're right. If you weren't hurt, you'd be peeling his dead body off of you!  You have a wound on your side, and he's holding you too tightly – too close!  She could practically hear the growling disgust in his voice.

A part of her had to giggle. Men.  She thought.  But she had to admit, a little part of her liked feeling Ben's splendid display of jealousy.  Again, she could practically hear him growl in her head, and could feel his helplessness as he watched her walk away with Poe's arms around her. Suddenly, she could hear another whispered growl in her head.  She's mine, dammit!

Rey stopped dead, startling Poe. "Rey, what's the matter?  Are you okay?"

She took a deep breath, unsure what she was feeling, pretty sure she wasn't supposed to have heard that.  His emotions had likely gotten the better of him and he couldn't block it from her. On one hand, her anger spiked - she was nobody's possession.   But on the other hand, his possessive declaration made her stomach do flip-flops.  After all her years of loneliness, she kind of liked the idea of belonging to someone – of being his.  As long as he belonged to her in turn.... Her breath caught at the thought.

Shaking her head, she gave Poe a small smile.  "Yes, sorry, I'm fine.  I just needed a minute."

At that moment, Kylo could see FN-2187 also rush up to them, who wrapped his arm around Rey's other side.  They were out of earshot, so he couldn't hear what they were saying, but the traitor was clearly babbling.

Taking yet another deep breath, he clenched his fists to tamp down his temper and the uncomfortable feeling in his chest.  He was not jealous!  It was just that she was hurt and he couldn't stand not being able to help her.  The fact that the damn pilot had his arms around her did piss him off.... He sighed.  Maybe he was a little jealous.

Through the bond, he could feel Rey's strength waiver, and suddenly he could see the pilot stop and scoop her up in his arms.  Kylo could see Rey struggle for a brief moment, before the pilot leaned his head down and appeared to nuzzle her face, smiling at her softly.  At this he felt a sense of relief and contentment flow through to him, and he could see her stop squirming as the pilot began to carry her back to the ship.

His emotions, already running high, were now roiling.   Confusion, betrayal and sharp anger flowing through his blood.  Did she like being in the pilot's arms or not?  After the things they had just shared, why was she not insisting the pilot put her down?  She said she could walk!  Yes she was hurt, but only moments before she had been fine!  She had told him the pilot was just her friend, but maybe her feelings for him had changed?  Changed into something more.  His gut twisted with hurt, and it felt hard to breathe.   Pushing the pain away, he drew on the comforting anger and slammed the bond closed, blocking all feelings from her.

Rey could feel betrayal and rage – white hot – surge through the bond.  This was different than the jealousy she felt earlier.  Colder, stronger.  Then there was hurt.  It felt like it was stabbing her in the chest.    Ben – no!  she tried to reach out to him.  But all she could feel was a door slamming on her mind, and then nothing.   It was like he was gone once again.  A void where the presence that was always there in the back of her consciousness used to be.  He seemed to be blocking her again.  She bit back a sob, utterly confused and devastated with what just happened.  How did everything good turn bad so fast?

Poe felt her shudder and heard the quiet sob, tightening his arms around her, mistaking it for pain. "Don't worry Rey, almost there."  He once again nuzzled the top of her head gently and smiled, happy to have her in his arms at last.

Rey looked up at Poe, eyes shining with tears, wishing desperately that the arms that carried her belonged to another.