let me help you

don't let go

It started with an idea.

Simple, clearly laid out in his mind, and easy enough to do.  It included getting them off the island and away for a short while.  It included possibly giving Rey something else to think about, something to bring back that smile on her face.  Ben just wanted to see that single thing.

Its been a while since he'd seen a true smile from her.  Rey had withdrawn back into that shell that she had gone into after they had first mediated together but... it was different.  Worse.  It worried him more than he liked to admit, but he did his best to help her; did his best to lend her all the support she needed, to give her space when she wanted it.  He was trying, and all the while a mantra that included the same words kept going off inside his head.

It's going to be okay.  It's going to be okay.  It's going to be...

On and on it went, never stopping.  It grew quieter at times, of course, but it also became so loud that it had kept up awake well into the night once.  He couldn't forget those words if he tried, and they're what kept him going whenever Rey looked a little more downhearted than normal.

They're the words that pushed him to finally telling Rey that he, for once, had an idea and would be taking control of the Falcon.  As he did so Ben told her where he had in mind.  Naboo, a more pastoral place from what Ben had always heard.  It wouldn't be anything like Corellia, but he thought that would be for the better.  (He didn't try to think about the connection it had to both Rey and he, though; didn't want the talk of their families to come up.  He was going to help them overcome that and give them new things to associate with Naboo — hopefully.)

He already had the city in mind, too.  One that was smaller than Coronet City had been but no less populated.  It would do well enough for what he had planned out.

Assuring her that it would be fine and that he would be able to handle the Falcon easily (understanding that, even if she didn't voice it, she still wasn't sure about anyone else piloting the starship) Ben didn't delay afterward.  He took control of the starship, did so in a manner that showed he was confident and comfortable with doing so. Piloting was a talent that was universal to him.  No matter the ship, the model, Ben would always be able to handle it.

He was going to try and do his best to help her feel a little better; going to help her take her mind off things for a while.  Ben would regret not trying to do something.


With the planet itself now in view, Ben effortlessly maneuvered the Falcon in the direction of Keren.  Upon entering Naboo's atmosphere and seeing Keren in the distance, it was clear this place was different from the far wealthier city of Coronet.  A lake that laid just outside of the city could be seen as Ben navigated the Falcon to Keren's starport.  Surrounded by greenery, the city was one that conformed to the land it sat upon.  

It was a little less flamboyant for sure, but still, it was impressive in its own ways.

Unlike in Coronet, there was no voice that came through the Falcon's communications giving them clearance or asking for identification.  Ben simply had to navigate the Falcon to an open, designated spot within the starport.  Simple.  Easy.

Even while navigating the Falcon to land it was clear that this starport had seen better days.  The ships around were older, a little more used, and smaller.  There also appeared to be no clear presence of the First Order around — or what remained of it anyway.  That presence was substituted by an increased number of civilians, some of which were simply loitering about but a majority of which were lined up in sectioned off lines.  Immigrants.

Expertly landing the Falcon, Ben began the simple process of shutting things down.  

"Welcome to Keren."  He told Rey as he did so, finishing rather quickly and then giving her his undivided attention.  "It's a little smaller than Coronet City.  Not as extravagant either but... it's a little quieter."  Giving her a small smile, Ben glanced out of the window's of the Falcon's cockpit.

"I don't expect us to be here for long, but if anything catches your eye while we're here just let me know.  We still have the entire day, anyway."  He said, voice relaxed.  His movements showed this same ease as he stood up from his seat, moving around it to come closer to her chair.  "We'll leave our sabers here like last time, just to be safe.  Unlike that time though, I think it'll be okay to bring the droids along."  That small smile remained on his face the entire time, knowing that she would certainly feel a little more comfortable with bringing both BB-8 and D-O along.

Holding out a hand to her, he motioned to the doorway of the cockpit.  "Come on."




Speech

Leave me to dream

She tried to be better.

But unlike in the past, Rey found it impossible to run from this problem. It was all-consuming, wrapping its grubby hands around her skin any moment it could; because it was her. It was a blanket that wrapped her too tightly, suffocating her in the fierceness of its misery. With escape an improbable option, she did what she could to turn, instead, to solution—but that was just as hard.

She didn’t dare touch her saber, nor did she turn to Obi-Wan to confide or to train. And despite her attempts to be open with Ben, she nevertheless found it easiest to detail her woes to BB-8 within the moments she found herself alone with the droid. It was an old habit, but one that, funnily enough, helped.

Not in the long run, maybe—but it was enough to keep her from going insane.

Otherwise, her self-care was methodical and deliberate. She could see through the nausea of her own self-contempt and the stress that made it difficult to sleep; she could disarm the temptation to curl in bed and do nothing at all. For Lily and Grey, and for Ben, she could do those things. Even if she didn’t know what to do afterwards. Her mind felt unquestionably foreign, leaving her purposeless once the necessities were taken care of each day.

It left her to tinker with perfectly intact parts of the Falcon, or to otherwise occupy herself through whatever menial jobs she could find. Chipping back rare pieces of rust that she already kept at bay, organizing and reorganizing the drawers she’d tore through, ensuring that the bolts she’d fitted D-O with were still adequate.

The Jedi texts, finishing touches to her lightsaber, or anything remotely involving the Force had been out of the question.

Other than the dyad. Which, despite how it gruelingly healed, she was even still reluctant to place a hand upon it. Ben was always warmly awaiting her on the other side, prepared to offer her his help if she needed it, but she hadn’t dared to call upon him again since that first night.

Either to let him in, or to ask for his assistance. For the former, she was afraid of what he might find—the latter, she didn’t dare take more than she deserved.

Rey’s aimlessness made her admittedly grateful when he took up the reigns of the Falcon once day, taking them away from the island and onto some predestined course that she wasn’t aware of. It was atypical of her, but she couldn’t bother to find the courage to ask until he explained, and she’d quietly digested their destination as he’d piloted his father’s ship.

As fortune would have it, she was unaware of their lineal ties to Naboo. As far as she knew, it was just another distant, idyllic place.

Their time in space was a reprieve, like a crushing weight being lifted off of her skull, and it helped to alleviate some of the oppressive struggle of gathering her pieces back together. She was still listless in too many ways, but at the very least, the distance from Ahch-To and its innumerable powers was an inexplicable relief. It’d been almost too easy for her to curl up in bed as he’d taken them away that first day, falling into a heavy sleep that had eluded her since the vision—other than the night he’d given her his help.

But now, sitting in the foreign seat of a passenger, Rey watched in silence as he guided the Falcon into the planet’s atmosphere. She knew, if she’d wanted to, she could’ve asked him what their charted destination was—or else looked to one of the starship’s monitors to determine what city they’d be landing in.

But she didn’t, opting instead to count the stars or errant comets that raced by the window as they made their descent, noting with mild curiosity that the planet only had one sun, and that it was—like so many other places—beautiful.

Welcome to Keren. She was quick to snap her eyes toward him, listening intently to his explanation—and the conversation he tried to make.

She’d been quiet of late, but that didn’t change how much she liked to hear him talk.

“Keren,” she echoed, nodding slowly. Somehow, she doubted that anything would be able to tug upon her attention. She tried, even so, to lean toward wishful thinking.

Rey only answered his smile with a small twitch at the corner of her mouth, a quick attempt that showed her gratitude, and she nodded. When he offered her his hand, she slowly disentangled her fingers from where they’d been gathered at the hem of her shirt, and she moved to take it.

And despite the heaviness of her body as she stood, she tried.

“Did you have something in mind for coming here?” Rey trailed him closely as he lead them out of the cockpit. Her droids were already lingering in the main bay, and BB-8 was swift to claim his position at her side.

She kept trying, even if her words, somehow, felt fake. For him, she could keep trying. “I’ve never been to Naboo.”

Speech

don't let go

Any emotion that was something other than the weariness or dejection she normally wore these past few days was something Ben treasured.  Her entire heart might not be into the small smile she gave him, but it showed him that she was at least trying.

That was more than Ben could ever ask for.

Patiently he waited for her to grab his hand.  When Rey finally did, Ben's eyes softened.  Securing her hand in a gentle hold, he coaxed her to follow him.

Had she not chosen that moment to speak, Ben would have been entirely fine with the comfortable silence that stayed around them more often now.  Besides, her reluctance to speak resulted in him trying his best to strike up a conversation instead.  He was the one talking now, and somehow it had been easier to do that this time around. Even when she didn't choose to speak for him long Ben didn't let that discourage him.  Just like her small smile, Rey trying to converse with him showed Ben that she was at least trying.

Ben just hoped his attempts at trying to strike up a conversation came across as desperation.  He didn't want Rey to worry.

Glancing over his shoulder, and giving Rey a continuous, gentle smile, Ben listened to her question.  Feeling a smirk coming on, Ben released her hand quickly when they came to pass their bedroom.  "I did."  He told her, rather unhelpful.  Walking into the bedroom the door remained open as Ben walked in and took her lightsaber from where he had placed it down days prior.  He then grabbed his own and situated it against his waist.

Keeping a hold of her saber, Ben walked back over to Rey.  Taking her hand without hesitation he began guiding her down the hall.

"You're going to have to wait and see what I had in mind, though.  Might not be that interesting but it's going to help us afterward."  It was going to be a little different than anything else they had done but Ben had forgotten to give the money she lent him.  If everything went well he would have a little more of than and more to give back to her.

Coming into the main hold Ben gave BB-8 a cursory glance as the droid moved quickly over to Rey's side.  D-O came over at a more subdued pace, not choosing anywhere in particular to move as Ben dropped Rey's hand again.

(He knew the need to hold her hand for so short a time seemed unnecessary, but it kept him a little calmer; a little more confident that everything would be alright.  So long as she was there and trying her best, it was going to be okay.)

"Neither have I, but I've heard enough to know quite a bit about it."  He said as he kept moving, heading over the hidden hold that Rey had chosen to hide D-O and their sabers away the first time.  

Simple tasks; simple things he could do that helped to give him some focus.  Just some little things that helped him to keep that mantra going while distraction the fears, and keeping them from growing.  

He didn't linger, choosing to move in an efficient manner that had him setting down their weapons without a thought inside the hold. Exiting without a word Ben only began speaking again once he had secured the hold and moved back toward Rey.

"Naboo used to be considered a very backward planet by a lot in the galaxy.  Then humans began to colonize it, which led to times of Naboo thriving at times but some places have declined economically since then."  While Ben told her this he had moved towards the Falcon's ramp, opening it rather quickly and turning to her as he finished speaking.

"Keren is one of those place.  A little better off, but still on the decline."  He went on, holding out his hand toward her again.  "A lot of trading happens here, which has attracted a lot of people who want to immigrate."  She she grabbed a hold of his hand Ben began to lead her out of the Falcon.  "But its resulted in a large part of the community being impoverished."  

Droids in tow, he stopped walking just when they finally stepped off the ramp and onto the solid group.  He gestured to the ramp. "Want to close her up?"  Ben asked her, knowing she had a specific way of doing things.  "I'll do it if not but I know how you are with the ship."




Speech

Leave me to dream

Trailing him towards their bedroom, even her misery wasn’t enough to overshadow her inherent curiosity. It rose slowly, but in earnest, as he spoke. His vagueness, however unhelpful it might’ve been, was still enough to inspire a flicker of her interest. Rey’s only recoil came when he emerged with her saber, but mercifully enough, he didn’t offer it to her. She made peace with his actions as he reclaimed her hand, and she did her utmost to not eye the weapon—as if it were a snake, no less—and to listen to him instead.

“Keeping secrets?” The corner of her mouth twitched again, accompanying the weak humor of her words, but she stayed quiet, otherwise, as she watched him. Her eyes only dropped once or twice to assure herself of D-O’s steady progression alongside them. She’d seen the droid get around stably for a couple of days now, but it still wasn’t quite enough to soothe her guilt over what she’d done to him.

Step by step, little by little. Like Ben, she had to believe that everything would be alright—even if seemed impossibly hard to do.

Unwisely, Rey let her thoughts occupy her attention as he swiftly moved about the smuggling compartment she’d unlocked on Corellia. His intentions, at least, were pacifying—as was the extra care he took in securing their belongings. He was quick to accomplish his task, and it seemed like hardly a moment had passed before he was beside her again, his fingers warmly enclosing her own.

Rey’s other hand occupied itself by lightly fidgeting with the loose pieces of her shirt. She used one of the leather holsters on the ship as a belt, cinching the first loop around her waist and the second around her thigh, her blaster from Han tucked safely in its hold.  The oversized shirt was one of his, tucked into the waistband of her leggings to make it less baggy, though she’d yanked some of the excess out to accommodate the growing slope of her abdomen. It was strange, surreal, but Rey’s palm periodically flattened down across her stomach.

Above all else, she always made sure to keep them close. No matter how frayed her edges felt, like pieces of cloth torn by hand, she channeled every ounce of her waking effort into keeping Lily and Grey safe.

Her hazel eyes shifted to Ben as he continued speaking, addressing her mild curiosity of Keren, and she found it to be a little easier to invest he genuine attention into the explanation he offered. As always, she couldn’t help but marvel at the well of knowledge he had to offer. In comparison, she often felt naïve—but that never stopped her from hungrily asking for more.

She couldn’t help but find it strange, perhaps even sad, that it’d been considered backwards until human intervention.

“It’s pretty,” she remarked, going off what she’d seen during their arrival, and to the distant, verdant spread of nature that awaited them beyond the ramp. Rey followed him closely as he continued, her chest expanding with the warmth of fresh, clean air.

She had loved Corellia, but like Takodana, Rey couldn’t help but marvel at the greenness of it all. Impoverished or not, it was none of the tremendous industry or populous that Corellia had been—none of the fancy chaos of the starport, nor the massively modern infrastructure that had all but drowned out the nature.

Not for the first time, Rey considered that the Corellians had spent billions to build a park—just to restore a bit of green to their technology.

Although a few questions budded upon her lips, she kept them at bay as he gestured towards the ramp. It was a small job, and one that she would’ve been fine to let him see through, but she appreciated his thoughtfulness—and the opportunity to do one, simple task. Her hands were constantly starved of something to occupy their attention, and as she moved to thumb a sequence upon an electronic pad at the belly of the freighter, sealing and locking the ramp with a hiss, it was enough to soothe her frayed ends for a moment.

When she returned to Ben, she quietly sought out his hand again, her fingers twining cautiously with his own as she spoke up.

“Is it impoverished because… there’s so many new people?” she tried. Her understanding of economics was frail at best, but his words implied that the influx of people left a decline in supplies. It made sense, she guessed. “Will this ever be built up like Corellia, do you think?”

She let him lead her onward, not daring to let her curiosity lead her astray. She satiated herself, instead, by curiously watching the lines of newcomers filtering through—the old, battered ships parked alongside the freighter.

It was a tremendous juxtaposition to Jakku, but it was just as different from Corellia, or Ajan Kloss.

“All these planets are so different from each other.”

Speech

don't let go

A playful smirk is all he had given her in reply to her attempt of being funny.  Just keep trying, he thought to himself underneath the mantra that continued to fill him with hope.  

His smirk had transformed back into a subtle smile as he carried on, giving Rey a brief, broad overview of what he knew and could remember about Keren.  Letting out a short hum in agreement with her observation of Keren, Ben knew it to be true even if there were sure to be more areas of the city that were a little rougher than Coronet had.

In the end, Ben just hoped that Rey enjoyed what little time they spent here.  He hoped that, for a while, it would take her mind away from everything that had been swimming around in her head, or, at least, it dampened those things.

He hoped.

Watching Rey closely as she moved to secure the Falcon, he knows that she's been more restless than usual.  It was hard not to notice the way her hands fidgeted or how she looked around the Falcon for something to fix.  Ben hadn't taken any of that into account when asking her if she wanted to do that simple task, but now he's a little more glad that he did.  Anything that would help her, he wanted to give her that and more.

Even if she warily twined her fingers with his own Ben didn't return that same energy.  He secured the grip she had initiated and began to walk them away from the starship.  His eyes weren't on her but it was clear that his attention still yes.

"There are other reasons — civil war and things revolving around there that happened a long time ago, but the influx of people coming here is a big factor.  The city can't support all of them, no matter how hard it tries.  It might be the second-largest settlement in Naboo, but it just can't keep up."  There simply weren't enough jobs, supplies.  No matter how much trade occurred here and how much money was moved around Ben believed it would take a lot more than just that to start sorting out the issues surrounding Keren.

Heading toward the entrance and exit of the starport, there was a clear distinction between those who were just passing through Keren and trying to settle down completely here.  Ben found his own eyes moving to look at an individual every so often, but for the most part, they never strayed away from looking forward.

"Honestly?  No."  He truly believed that; disliked that he did.  "Not unless something drastic is done.  What that might be I don't know, though.  My expertise never really involved dealing with such issues."  No, his expertise only went so far as negotiating and dealing with issues that mainly involved warfare.  

Given that this starport was smaller in size than the one in Coronet they made decent ground, but it was more dysfunctional.  Ben made sure to never lose his grip on Rey's hand.  Glancing for a second at where the droids were he continued to lead her out of the starport.

Looking her way when she spoke again, Ben nodded in agreement with her observation.  "It's a good reminder of just how big the galaxy is.  You could visit as many places as you want, and none will ever be like the other." He had visited a lot of places and seen a lot of things.  Not one place had ever been the same.  "Used to not give it much thought; used to not care but... it shows how special each planet is."  He huffs at himself.  "Sounds silly, I know, but better than just seeing planet after planet and thinking 'it's just one out of hundreds, what does it matter.'"  That is what he used to think.  Rey had helped him to see things a little differently, though.

When they finally made it out of the starport, there was no grand staircase showing off the city — it was just a simple street that led out right into the mercantile district.  Stone buildings and tarps, beyond this district taller buildings could be seen. Made of similar stone with weathered rooftops. It wasn't the modern structures that Coronet had, but it was captivating in its own way.

The mercantile district was in a convenient place, and made sense given that many did come here to trade but Ben didn't plan on them getting swept up in that just yet.  "We'll come back here afterward, but we first need to find a cantina."  He told her with a smile.  "Or an alley, pub — I'm sure there are a lot of places we could find."  He said with a shrug as he carefully led her to keep following him.




Speech

Leave me to dream

She might’ve been happy with his answering thought that Keren might never grow to be as developed, if it didn’t come with the implication that its people would remain ill-supplied. Rey digested the information he offered her slowly, letting it settle with little interference, glad for the change of scenery that helped her redirect her aimless, miserable attention. His firm hold upon her hand helped her stay grounded, even as her eyes wandered to survey their surroundings.

The aged, tattered, dirty clothes that some families wore hit close to home. She only hoped that these people might find the hope that they were looking for on these new horizons. There was no telling where they came from, and for a brief moment, Rey found herself wondering if her parents had ever stood in a line like this. She didn’t know much of her life before Jakku, having been too young to remember how her parents had made their living, but Ben himself had told her they were junk traders.

Had they ever brought her to a planet like this?
Maybe she had been to Keren, and she just didn’t know it.

“It doesn’t sound silly,” she answered quietly, letting her eyes drop to where BB-8 and D-O paced them, both droids orbiting at their heels. “I like it here, though.” The words were becoming a little easier to get out, and she shouldered him like velcro as he lead them into the mercantile district.

It was certainly more civilized than Jakku had been, built up in ways that Niima Outpost could only dream to be, but she had to admit that it spoke to her with something like homeliness. “It feels familiar,” she commented. The district was undoubtedly closer to what she’d grown up with than the vast, industrialized splendor of Corellia.

Maybe it was a bit rough around the edges, but Rey didn’t mind it at all.

Her brow furrowed curiously at his words, and though she trusted him indubitably, Rey couldn’t help the skepticism that crossed her features. “A cantina, alley, or pub…” somehow, she was a little surprised that he’d insinuate taking her to any place so questionably rough—but she quickened her steps to fall into pace beside him.

“That’s a specific list,” she answered his smile with a look of subdued curiosity, her eyes flickering to survey the surrounding, ramshackled buildings as they peeled their way out of the mercantile district and, slowly, away from the throng of newcomers and merchants.

But Rey was wise enough to realize the buildings lining the streets weren’t residentials. No, the din of noise only subsided to the light, early-afternoon chatter of business preparation. Some of the stone structures looked like inns and hotels, but one that Rey spotted seemed suspiciously like a brothel, albeit one that was more modest in nature than some others in the galaxy. That didn’t stop her from deliberately nudging Ben toward the opposite side of the path.

Keren was rough in the way that a wooden sword might be. Maybe a little rotten in the hilt, and easily broken if swung too hard—but it was trying. In the thousands of people it housed and the infrastructure the city struggled to build up, its citizens were certainly doing their best.

One of the inns sat perched within a two story building, with hand-made signs that were painted to be flashy, indicating the vacancies available upstairs and the on-tap drinks in the cantina below. Knowing what Ben was searching for, she pointed with a finger, and the same hand dropped to brush along the blaster at her thigh. She ensured it was still in place, just as she assured herself that her two droids were still in tow.

“Ben. There’s a cantina there,” she offered. “Are you going to tell me what you have in mind,” Rey continued, managing a slightly warmer smile as she looked at him, “or did you just come here for a drink?”

Speech

don't let go

That's a specific list.

His smile had turned a little more playful at that.  Ben knew she was curious but he wasn't going to give in just yet and tell her what he had in mind.  "It is, but they're some of the only places that I'm positive will have what I'm looking for."  That's all he gave her, leaving it be at that.  "Don't worry, though, I'll tell you what I have planned soon enough."  The playfulness in his smile turned into something a little more reassuring as he continued to lead them away from the starport and mercantile district.

The city was different in its own way from places Ben had been to before, and while he had certainly seen better Keren was unusually attractive.  It was a little more rugged but there was life here.  It was trying its best, and that's all that mattered.

Focused on finding particular signs (and grateful that most were written in Basic) Ben wasn't paying too much attention to any of the other establishments and businesses.  He had one goal in mind and if a place didn't pertain to that then he easily moved over it and looked elsewhere.  That's why he found himself blinking in confusion when Rey directed him to move over.

Looking at her, his silent question clearly seen in the furrow of his brows, she had been looking elsewhere.  Ben followed her line of sight and immediately noticed what had caused her reaction.

A sliver of amusement pulled at one side of his lips.  In response, Ben found that he could only lift the hand he held to his lips and place a chaste kiss against the back of it.  Rey hardly had to worry about Ben getting tempted by such places.  There was only one person for him and he was lucky enough to already be holding hands with her.

It's why he didn't give the brothel another glance and immediately went back to looking around.  He didn't move from the side Rey had guided him to, though.  He was perfectly content with continuing to look from where he was walking now.

Expecting to find a place on his own, he was caught off guard when Rey called his name and pointed in the direction of a building. Gaze following were she was gesturing to, he was ready to head in and see if what he was hoping for would be happening there. He showed restraint though and gave his attention to Rey, smiling down at her in reply to her words.

"I don't know if you know this," he began as he started to direct her toward the cantina, bringing her closer to his side, "but Force-sensitives are banned from a lot of casinos in the galaxy."  He quietly told her this, navigating them pass any people that happened to be in their path.  When they made it into the cantina - a place filled with worn furniture and crowd that was actually a little less suspicious than the crowd in the cantina on Coronet - Ben stopped just for a moment and looked around.

It was easy enough to see towards the back of the cantina and spot the unmistakable game of cards taking place.  "It's not a casino," he continued to speak quietly to Rey, letting go of her hand so that he could move his hand to rest against her back,  "but gambling is gambling, and we're in need of some credits.  Especially if you want more waffles."  He murmured kindheartedly, guiding her to the back of the cantina.  He didn't care if any eyes fell on them as they walked passed, but Ben did glance down to make sure D-O and BB-8 were still with them.  They were.

Not taking them straight to where the game was happening, but close enough to actually see what exactly was being played, he led them to a free table off to the side.  From the quick passing, Ben could also see that there were just some individuals watching while others actually were involved.  

Once they had sat down, Ben moving his chair closer to Rey, he gently grabbed her hand while digging into the pocket of his pants.  Pulling out the small bag filled with the remainder of credits he had from the day he got Rey her necklace, he placed it in the palm of her hand.  Giving her a smile, he gestured subtly with his head to the game happening not too far from them.

"No one knows we're Force-sensitive, and what they're playing is a game a Force-sensitive, like you, could cheat at."  Moving an arm to rest on the back of her seat, Ben's smile turned a little more daring; a little more roguish.  "Something tells me you'd be a natural at Sabacc."  And he hoped that it gave her something a little more fun, challenging, to focus on for a while.

Ben really hoped.

"I'll be sure to tell you everything I know about the game.  What do you say?"




Speech

Leave me to dream

The unease that had piled over her slowly began to ebb when it became clear he was going to offer her an explanation. She stayed close to him; their fingers threaded together even as she curiously surveyed the front of the cantina. The look she gave her droids was a cautionary one, indicating that they ought to stay close, before she redirected her attention to Ben.

She’d never been to a casino before. She’d never even seen one, but she had heard a little about what they were. Rose, Finn, and BB-8 had told her enough about the one they’d plundered on Cantonica while searching for a way to free the Resistance from the First Order. It didn’t come as any surprise to her that Force-sensitives would be banned.

“How would they know?” Was her offhanded reply, a bit ironic in nature. To the untrained eye, or one that thought the Force to be a myth, there were hardly any tell-tale signs to be banned. Her remark was of little consequence as Ben continued, guiding them through the doorway and into the cantina.

His explanation sparked her interest, and she managed a gentle smile in answer to his kind comments. They were in need of credits, though Rey had never considered spending them on something as luxurious as food outside of ration packs. She’d been far too penniless to ever venture that far.

It took her a moment, but she was able to spot the card game quickly enough as he guided them towards the back of the cantina, away from the bar-chatter that circled the taps. Like Ben, she made sure that the droids stayed close and unbothered—and each of them came to idle beneath the table that Ben selected.

As the day had gone on, it’d become steadily easier for her to twine their hands together with minimal reluctance. She did that now, even as his other hand delved into one of his pockets. The small coin purse he revealed gave her pause—as did his suggestion.

To Rey, touching the Force right now felt like a gamble, never mind the card game. Her reluctance shone in her eyes as she glanced down at the bag he held.

But that didn’t stop her from following his gaze to the table. She’d heard of Sabacc, and though she’d never played before—or seen it played—it wasn’t the first card game she’d been witness to. From their vantage point, she was able to watch as the dealer hashed three cards to each player. One in hand, two faced down. Her brow drew curiously as they each unveiled their cards, their mouths moving to shape numbers she couldn’t hear.

Rey glanced at Ben, catching the roguish smile that warmed his features. It was an expression that she’d come to love—one that made her heart flutter erratically in her chest. It did so now, despite the lingering melancholy that subdued it.

What do you say?

“I’m not sure you should encourage me to cheat,” she said quietly, her thumb brushing the back of his hand as she smiled. Rey stole a worried glance towards the small coin purse. It wasn’t much, and she was frugal enough to know it was precious. “And I don’t know if we should risk gambling what credits we do have.”

But he’d brought them all the way here, and she could see the glimmer of hope in his eyes.

Drawing in a deep breath, Rey stole a slow, reluctant glance towards the table. She feared the consequences of calling upon the Force—but from what she could guess, Sabacc was a game of luck.

She hadn’t had much of that lately, either.

“Alright,” Rey’s concession came slowly, carefully peeled from her lips. “How do I play?”

Speech

don't let go

A shrug is what he had given her in reply to her questioning remark.  Ben knew it wasn't all that noticeable, especially for those that believed the Force to be nothing but a tall tale.  However, Ben could also see how one could see that something was off.  A person dealing in gambling just being too lucky or the dice landing just the right way one too many times.

It was easy to get greedy and if they wanted to get out of here without anything occurring as a result of what Ben was suggesting then he knew Rey would have to be sure not to let herself get carried away.  Although Ben knew it would, more than likely, be the exhilarating rush that came from winning a round and getting away with anything she had done to help her, rather than the greed.

For now, he just had to see if she would be willing to actually give it a chance.  If not, Ben planned on participating in a round or two. They needed the credits and if things turned out differently than he expected it wouldn't be an issue for him to work toward gaining credits in a different way.

This way was a little more fun, though.  A little bit different and something he hoped would bring out the parts of Rey that made her a little more Rey.  

Her competitiveness, her determination, her intellect — so many other things but above all Ben just hoped it would get a bigger smile out of her than the ones he had been seeing over the past few days.  If it failed, that was alright.  He would keep trying to find other ways. Ben was actually planning on making her another dish, after all, so hopefully that would do the trick if this didn't.

Letting out a huff of amusement, he enjoyed the small smile she gave him as his chest filled with warmth from the brush of her thumb across his hand.  He might not be able to feel her through the bond, like normal, but her worry was still palpable.  Understanding where she was coming from, Ben was firm in the reassurance that he gave her.

"Don't worry about that.  I have other, more morally correct ways, of getting us credits.  If it doesn't go well we'll leave, and I'll start working on getting us some supplies elsewhere."  Finding small jobs here wouldn't be easy to do, not with the state that Keren currently was in, anyway.  It wouldn't be an issue to go somewhere else and find a way to pick up a quick and easy job as he had in Coronet.  "It'll be fine.  I promise."  It was a wholehearted promise, one that he meant completely and didn't say just to soothe her.

It would be okay.  Even if, in the end, she didn't agree to play.

Alright.  His eyes showed his gratitude at her willingness to at least try.  It was a hesitant agreement but Ben would take it. Moving closer to her, he shifted in his seat so that he could easily shift his attention to the game and Rey without any trouble.

"It's simple, and while there's some luck that goes into it, it also takes skill.  I know you'll catch on quickly, though."  He had absolute faith in that.  She could learn quickly, adapt even quicker.  She would be fine.

Beginning by explaining the main objective of the game to her, Ben took his time.  Besides, it wasn't like they were in a rush to get anywhere.  From there he moved onto the cards included in each deck used for the game, making sure to help her as much as possible when it came to remembering the special cards included.  Ben also made a point of letting her know that she could easily ask him any questions while playing.

What he exactly meant by that was made a little more clear when his side of the dyad lit up.  He had been holding onto his end of it since the day of the vision, no matter the headache it had brought on.  They didn't need words to fully communicate anymore, and it would be simple enough to silently send her any help. Her side of the dyad had remained quieter than usual, though, which was why he was sure to let her know that she didn't have to do what he suggested.

She didn't have to use the Force and cheat if she didn't want to, just like she didn't have to tighten her grip on the bond and ask anything while playing.  Ben wanted her to know that she had a choice and didn't have to do anything he was telling her.

From there he moved on to the finer details: what made Sabacc different, how a normal game of Sabacc went, and the phases.  Through all of this, he made sure to answer any question Rey had.  She would be jumping in rather quickly, and Ben wanted her to go in feeling more than just slightly familiar with the game.  

Once all he knew was said and done Ben gave Rey his full attention again.

"After a round or two, it'll get a lot easier.  Just don't get carried away and don't get caught."  He gently told her, his hand still holding onto her's.  "I'll be there the entire time, and if you ever feel like things aren't going to go your way, just fold out."

Getting the feeling that he needed to reassure her a bit more, Ben did just that while also telling her she didn't have to play one last time.  "You don't have to play if you don't want to, but I promise you, sweetheart, it won't turn out as bad as you expect."  Money was a precious thing right now for them, but that was something Ben could find other ways to gain more of.  Rey's comfort mattered more than extra credits.

"Just say the word.  I'm fine with leaving, but if not then whenever you're ready."




Speech

All great and precious
things are lonely

Rey knew the morals of it weren’t necessarily in question for her. The cloak she’d given him, after all, had most certainly been stolen—and it’d been of astronomical value. A part of her admitted, however, that cheating in a game with peoples from so economically suffering a place might not have been the most ethical of gambits. That didn’t alter her agreement, nonetheless, and she continued to watch the table of players with a quiet, assessing eye as Ben began his explanation.

Though her eyes scarcely wandered from the handful of players, a couple of aliens and humans of different ages, she payed close attention to every bit of information that Ben fed her. She’d been right, at least, to speculate that it was a game of chance and luck—the fortune of cards. Already, Rey was picking her brain to find ways to cheat the system. She couldn’t influence the numbers to play in her favor, but she could alter the perspective of her fellow players.

Sabacc wasn’t horribly complicated, and by the time Ben had detailed the game as best he could, Rey nodded. She’d leaned back in her seat throughout his explanation, letting her head angle back so he spoke near her ear, but she withdrew and straightened as she squeezed his hand. It would be something new, undoubtedly, but Ivano had taken her to see such games before—if she lost everything in a trial run, she was certain she could earn it back.

Thinning her lips, she drew in a deep breath—and even with the vacancy of her presence upon the bond, he was keenly attuned to her wariness.

It won’t turn out as bad as you expect.

She glanced at him quietly before managing a nod. “I’ll try,” she said. Her hand outstretched to take the bag of credits. Her eyes dropped, then, to the droids beneath the table. “D-O, you stay with Ben. Come on, BB-8.”

Rey stood, and the round droid trailed her closely as she glanced down at him, offering an absentminded question. “How do you feel about being a bartering chip?”

He beeped warily, almost a groan, and she huffed softly as she led the droid to the table. Whatever they already had in the Sabacc pot, Rey couldn’t know—but she knew she could raise the stakes with a droid as valuable as BB-8. If she was going to do this, she was going to make it worth their while.

A wan smile played upon her features as she approached one of the empty chairs at the table. They were in the middle of a hand, poring over their cards with an intensity that let her slip unnoticed into one of the seats. Somehow, she doubted anyone asked to join the game—the best she was given was an unscrupulous glance from one alien at the table, and an upturn of the chin of an older, greying man. She sat in silence, her hands folded on the table, as she watched the hand play out.

The announced their final numbers to the answer of groans, and a singular snort of victory from another alien, who babbled in a language she didn’t know. Rey kept the bag of credits in her lap, BB-8 situated beneath her chair, and waited. As the victor took his spoils, the dealer swatted the center of the table. Each player doled out their contribution to the hand pot. He leveled eyes with her wordlessly, an indication that she should put out her own wagers or leave, and she drew in a slow breath.

Matching the bet—five credits, this hand—she was rewarded with inclusion as the dealer nodded to her and began to shuffle the deck.

“You ever played Sabacc, girl?” The alien beside her nearly squeaked the words out, and she glanced at him from her periphery. He took a swig of something foul-smelling.

“No,” she could’ve played herself as charming, or dim-witted, or else a bubbly halfwit. But she didn’t, because it wasn’t in her nature to be delicate. And anyways, she doubted it would help her manipulate any of them.

The dealer spoke up, then. “What’s your wager to the Sabacc pot, then? You know the rules, don’t you?” Her hazel eyes snapped towards him, and Rey snorted, a sharp smile pointing the corners of her lips. His words were meant to be patronizing, but she wasn’t bothered.

“BB-8,” she said. The droid rolled out from under her seat, and the men sitting closest to her peered down at the floor. “I’ll add this BB unit. His parts are all new, and he’s up to date. Would fetch a decent amount of credits to any worthwhile buyer.”

She and the droid had played this game before, which was why, perhaps, he didn’t beep in protest.

A pleased smile crossed the dealer’s face, and he nodded. The aging, grey-haired player shuffled in his seat, grunting, and nursed his wounded pride by tossing a gold-chained necklace onto the table to try and match her contribution.

“For the Sabacc pot,” he huffed.

Which was what Rey had wanted, of course.

The dealer began to dole out the cards as Rey straightened in her seat, reviewing the rules that she’d committed to memory.

Her first card was the lame, meager face of a pip card. Numbered, horridly, at one. She didn’t make a sound, or else change her expression at all, as she ran her thumb along the bottom of the card. There were four players total, including herself—the two aliens, and the grey-haired man. And then, the dealer. The dealer gave each of them two cards face down, and they began to read off their numbers aloud.

The first alien read off a simple seventeen.
The man, smug, crossed his arms over his chest as he announced, with purity, twenty-three. Rey’s jaw set.
The alien at her side, with a measure of defeat, a solitary one.
And Rey, already resigned to this match, read off her eleven.

The man with the pure sabacc cackled, a toothy, grating laugh, as he swept his earnings closer. Rey watched the credits make their way toward his side of the table, and she pursed her lips thinly together. There hadn’t been an opportunity for her to influence any change with the Force—not with that had to contest with.

One loss wouldn’t hurt. She just had to win the majority to come.

And no matter her frail hold upon the dyad, Rey huffed a pinch of amusement into Ben’s mind. You should have given me Han’s dice.

But the cycle repeated, only this time, Rey raised the stakes of the hand pot to fifteen credits per player. An unwise decision, maybe, but one that she made without hesitance. When each player announced their numbers, though, a flicker of hope shuttered through her chest.

Twenty, sixteen, five, eighteen.

There was only the smallest pinch of wrongness as she pushed into the first alien’s mind, finding no resistance—only ample room to plant the thought for him to draw. He did, and her lips twitched with satisfaction when he withdrew a nine from the deck.

The sixteen, she asked to stand. The five, she allowed to draw—a meager one.

No one surpassed her, so she resolved to stand, too, with a satisfied glimmer in her eyes as she swept the sixty credits across the table and toward herself.

And the game went on like that, with Rey intervening with mild suggestions of thought to throw her opponents off the game. Sometimes, a loss was inevitable—and she stayed true to Ben’s request of not pushing the limits of realism. It worked in her favor, and before long, her wins fortunately outweighed her losses. She committed a quick tally to memory, too, to ensure that nothing threatened her final claim over the Sabacc pot near the end.

Which, most importantly of all, included BB-8.

As the game progressed, and as she acquainted herself with the minds of her opponents, she harmlessly suggested they chip into the pot what they could afford to lose. It became easier as their minds were muddled with alcohol, their decisions warped by the drinks she gently encouraged them to nurse, and her own coin purse grew heavier and heavier.

By the final round, the sabacc pot consisted of BB-8, a little over a thousand credits that’d been contributed before her arrival to the game, the gold chained necklace, a blaster with plenty of worthwhile parts, and an old speeder parked outside.

Her final win might’ve come with general outrage if she hadn’t become such a conflicted influence upon their thoughts. By the end of the game, though, it was mostly alcohol that made the alien beside her clap her on the back, offer to buy her a drink, and then to be swept up into bemoaning his losses with laughter alongside her other opponents.

She knew she’d won with dishonesty, but she was mostly shameless as she gathered her winnings, a key to the ignition of the old speeder included, and parted from the drunken crowd to pick her way back towards Ben, arms full and BB-8 in tow.

The droid was beeping at her furiously, and she managed a warmer, more sincere smile as she glanced down at him.

“I wouldn’t have let anyone take you, BB-8. If I wasn’t going to sell you for 100 rations back then, I’m not gonna give you up for anything now,” the droid continued to softly protest, but she ignored him as she offered the coin purse to Ben.

“So? Will this buy what you need?” she asked, smiling.

Speech

don't let go

I'll try.

Giving her a reassuring nod as she took the small bag of credits.  Shifting in his seat Ben didn't ask why she was asking BB-8 to go with her.  He could make some educated guesses but, ultimately, none of them would ever be what she actually had planned.  Ben never believed she would be willing to risk one of her precious droids, after all.  If only he knew.

Sinking back into his seat, his expression dimmed slightly now that she wasn't paying attention to him.  An affectionate smile still managed to keep itself alive on his face, though, as Ben watched her walk over to the table and sit down without hardly hesitating.

Rey was already clearly focused on what was happening at the table, and while Ben had spared the others she sat with a passing glance, his main focus stayed on her.  From his side of the bond, he attentively waited for her, ready for anything that might arise. It wasn't any different from how he had been waiting for her the past couple of days, really, but there was something a little more relaxed in how he rested there at the threshold.

His physical demeanor was similar.  His attention was on her, carefully watching, but Ben kept his body relaxed.  Some of his anxiety had faded but he still worried over whether or not she would enjoy herself a little bit, or if this would turn out as well as he hoped it would.

Not able to make out any words that Rey spoke, Ben kept silent as cards were dealt.

It's going to be okay.

Glancing away for just a moment to make sure that D-O was still near his feet and hadn't wandered off.  Ben looked back up quickly enough to see all at the table reveal their cards.  He would never be able to see what each card was but it was clear who the victor of the round was.  Looking at the man that had celebrated his victory, Ben's eyes quickly flickered to Rey at the pinch of amusement he felt from her.

You don't need Han's old dice.  You have enough luck on your own.

Maintaining a watchful eye on Rey, Ben settled down further.  Arm on the seat Rey had been sitting in, Ben made sure to keep it there to dissuade anyone from sitting down by him.  His other arms rested in his lap and it's in that position he remained for the entire time.

As time went on, Ben found that there was something calming about simply watching Rey do something.  Rey, to Ben, was always calming in a way he could never describe.  Maybe there were other factors at play, such as him not having to worry about her trying to preoccupy herself for a while, or him trying to — Ben didn't know.  Regardless he found an alleviating sigh leave him as the rounds kept going.

When the last round finally came to an end, Ben felt a small, warm smile tug at his lips as the alien at her side clapped her on the back.  Unable to know what was being said, Ben patiently remained seated until Rey had gathered everything she had won.  Smile still warm, a hint of pride shined in his eyes as she came over to him.  Not pride at her besting her opponents and practically stealing from them, rather pride in her taking the chance and playing despite her wariness.

Taking in the smile that was a little more her (not completely, but more than the others he had been receiving), Ben gently took the purse.

"More than."  He told her, moving to stand up.  Stepping close to her once he had, he couldn't resist placing a kiss near her temple.  "Told you it wouldn't be so bad.  You've always been quick to pick things up."  He murmured kindly near her.  Ben then moved and placed the hand not holding the credits she had won against her back.  

With the next step involving them returning back to the mercantile district.  Rubbing a stray path up her back for a second he then gently began to lead her back toward the front of the cantina.  While Ben knew they had traveled quite a way to get here he hoped the little they did on Keren helped in its own way.  "I just want to grab a few supplies." He explained.  "But aside from that, we can do whatever you want.  So if something catches your eye, we can check it out, or if anything else comes to mind just let me know." His smile turned affectionate, "I won't mind either if you simply want to head back to the Falcon and have me make you something."

Giving the other items she had won a cursory glance, he noticed the key to the speeder.  "Planning on getting some parts for the Falcon from that?"  He questioned, genuinely curious while also trying to keep the conversation moving.  He was worried about asking her if she had had fun; if getting involved in the game had taken her mind off of things.  Ben only worried asking out of fear that it would bring back up what he was trying to help ease.




Speech

All great and precious
things are lonely

No matter the din of the cantina or their grubby surroundings, nothing could stop her from closing her eyes and leaning into him as his lips brushed her temple. Her reservation over sharing touches—especially those she initiated—seemed to renew itself each morning, only to ebb as the day progressed. There was an underlying tension that lingered on within her, but even that wasn’t enough for her to deny herself the small comfort of his affection.

Her head angled back afterwards to catch his eyes, and she smiled faintly at his words. She wasn’t sure she could credit herself for the win when it’d mostly been through cheating, but the prizes she held against her chest were no less precious. It wasn’t any secret that she had something of a materialistic streak, and her thumb thoughtfully rubbed over the key she’d acquired.

“We can leave now,” his hand was already on her back to guide her towards the exit. “I’ve had enough of this cantina.” The smell of her opponents had been making her increasingly nauseous through the rounds, and she was giddy to taste the fresh air of the green planet again. When they stepped out of the cramped stone building, her lungs drank it in greedily.

“It’s alright. I don’t mind exploring for a while,” they’d come all this way, anyways. And she knew returning to the Falcon would only put her sanity down on a whetstone, grinding it down a little bit closer to dust. She didn’t want that. “But I look forward to seeing what you make me,” she glanced at him, smiling.

Her chest wasn’t as tight, her mind wasn’t as heavy, and it was easier to look at Ben without a crushing wave of guilt. Rey had resolved at the start of the day that she would try her hardest for him, and she was tenderly glad that trying had become a little more effortless.

Carefully bunching her spoils in one arm, she wordlessly collected his hand in her other as she listened to him, guiding him tentatively to where the alien had said his speeder was parked. Her eyes had already brightened by the time it came into view, though she was taken aback by his question.

“No,” her head shook. It was a Locust, which twisted her smile into something ironic—it’s bulky body was awfully similar to the one she’d made on Jakku. Almost as though hers had been a distant, ripped off relative.

“No, it’s worth more to us if we sell it. Two thousand credits, maybe, if we can find a good buyer…” her words tapered off as she approached the battered, slate-colored speeder. It could use a good cleaning, but as she detached her hand from his and walked a slow circle around it, she surmised that it was in relatively good condition.

Aged, sure, but still intact. It was definitely better than the one she’d manufactured.

It was inevitable that the adventure-hungry cogs in her mind would begin to turn, and as she ran a hand over its sand covered back, she found a bag strapped securely to its side. Opening it, she found its contents empty of all but a foul-smelling canteen. Her nose wrinkled, a hand settling on her abdomen, as she carelessly discarded it.

And then she was pouring the contents of her other arm into the bag, securing them in place. The other side of the speeder had a rope pouch, not so unlike her own, clearly made to hold larger objects.

“Have you ever driven a speeder?” She asked thoughtfully, twisting the key around her fingers as she dusted off the seat. Her eyes were shining, clearly tempted, though she chanced a glance at the droids. A frown crept over her expression. They might fit on the side of the speeder, if she could strap them in securely enough…

“We’d have to drive it to the market, but I’m not sure what to do with you two.” BB-8 let out a series of beeps, wild and insistent and a little offended. D-O squeaked his alarm, something like an incredulous what?! She sighed. “Oh, let it go, BB-8. I wasn’t actually going to gamble you away, and I’m not going to sell you. Hush.”

The droid warbled to himself, and she huffed as she turned back to Ben. "Thoughts?"

Speech

don't let go

Nodding at her words, he looked her way with a reciprocating smile on his face.  With the credits she had won Ben knew there was more than enough to purchase some extra things that would help him learn to make a lot more things for her.  He was actually looking forward to being able to make more than just some simple waffles and he hoped that it would lift her spirits a little more as a result.

That was the whole point of coming here after all: to make her feel better.  It seemed that he had gotten her mind to focus elsewhere already, but he still wanted to do more — needed to do more anyway since he had more planned. Ben didn't know if anything else would help, and if it would only help for today, or help her feel better for a couple of days after.  It didn't really matter how long, though, so long as it helped to some extent Ben was grateful no matter what.

He just wanted to help in any way he could.

Feeling a tinge of amusement at the expression Rey gave him in response to his question, he held onto her hand as she now led them to where the speeder was.  He had no knowledge of speeders — not as much as he did of common starships anyway.  Listening to what she had in mind for the speeder, Ben let her hand go without complaint.  Perhaps he should have been examining the bulky thing and taking it in a little better, but he only found himself watching Rey. Captivated by her like always, he watched as she walked around the speeder to assess it.

Continuing to watch her, he kept silent as she went about opening the bag on the side of the speeder.  Ben approached the speeder on the side Rey wasn't on and glanced at the canteen she discarded with hardly a thought.  When her question came up Ben hummed in thought for a moment, looking on still as she dusted the seat.  Not looking at her face like he had been before, he didn't notice the gleam in her eye.

"No, I can't say that I have before.  I might have ridden on one when younger but if that's the case, it wasn't a memorable enough experience to remember.  I'm assuming it isn't too difficult to control, though."  He tells her.  Piloting was piloting to Ben, and for some reason, it had always come rather easily to him.  Personally, it was something he always just said was genetic; had told Rey himself that it ran in the family.  Finally looking up, Ben caught the end of her frown as she peered at BB-8 and D-O.

Looking toward the droids at Rey's comment, Ben couldn't even begin to understand what BB-8 had beeped at her.  However, given that the droid was capable of putting enough inflection into each individual beep, Ben was able to assume he wasn't all that happy. Ben's expression suddenly changed and showed just how stunned he was to learn that Rey had, apparently, gambled the droid.

"You gambled the droid?"  He asked, tone revealing his disbelief.  Ben clearly wasn't upset or angered by this, merely shocked.  He hadn't believed Rey would do such a thing. A glimmer of amusement broke through his shock quickly though, and he let out a chuckle while he shook his head in amusement.  "Is that why you had him go with you?  I don't even know why I'm surprised."  Ben remarked as he glanced at the droid in question, a cheerful smirk on his face.

BB-8 beeped something at him now.  It could have been any manner of things, but Ben ignored it.  "I don't know what you said but if things had turned out worse we would have found a way to get you back."  He told the droid, knowing he would have gone through any manner of challenges to get the droid back because he was Rey's and Rey cared for him greatly.

Looking back over to Rey, amusement still evident, Ben leaned carefully against the speeder.  Crossing his arms, he knew anything worked for him.  "Unless you know how to drive a speeder and can figure out a way to keep the droids from falling off, I have no issue taking this down to the market.  If you want to sell it while we're there, too, by all means.  You did win it, after all."  He said, voice a little more lighthearted and just a tad bit more teasing.




Speech

All great and precious
things are lonely

A small bloom of excitement served to overshadow her sorrow, if only for a moment, as he said he’d never driven a speeder before. That only grew when he said he couldn’t remember much of riding on one, either, and her admiration of the vehicle she’d acquired increased as new opportunities unfolded. This certainly wasn’t what she’d expected of the day, but she didn’t have anything to complain about, either.

Her tongue caught between her teeth at Ben’s incredulous question, and she smiled weakly in reply as she glanced at him. “I had to raise the stakes somehow, and he was the only thing I had,” she didn’t mention that D-O, comparably, likely wasn’t worth much. She had no desire to hurt the wheeler droid’s feelings, after all. “And it worked out, since we have this now.” She extended a leg to toe the side of the speeder with her boot, humming in satisfaction.

Rey’s expression softened as Ben addressed the droid, her gaze lingering on him for a moment longer before she glanced down at BB-8, who, if a droid could mumble, seemed to be muttering something in his upset. “I had it under control, BB. I promise. I knew what I was doing.”

That was the only apology her orange and white companion was going to get, and with a deep breath, she watched as Ben leaned against the speeder, curiously eyeing him as he answered her question.

Unless you know how to drive a speeder… oh, did she. It was only a matter of securing their two companions that posed an issue, but Rey, by now, was determined to rise to the challenge.

“I think I can figure something out to get us all there. It’d be nice to make sure this thing still works, too, before we sell it.” And, truth be told, she was eager to drive a speeder again.

A small smirk played with the corner of her mouth as she stuck the key in the ignition, twisting her wrist. The joint engines stuttered for a heartbeat before roaring to life as the repulsorlifts activated, levitating the vehicle a few inches off the ground. The gravity well purred as it worked, the mechanics of the speeder hissing. Rey watched it in satisfaction, her eyes aglow with quiet delight—it was in better condition than she’d initially thought.

“Come here, D-O.” The droid obeyed, and she lifted him up effortlessly as she stepped towards the mesh side compartments. The holes were small enough that he wouldn’t fall out—he just might be a bit uncomfortable.

As gently as she could, she slid him into the fastenings and made sure to let his cone-face poke out. He beeped inquisitively, his wheel whirring but lacking traction against the ropes, and she admonished him with a soft sh.

“It’s alright. We’re all going,” she promised the droid, stooping towards BB-8 now. The round droid was significantly heavier than D-O, but pride and her own capability kept her from asking Ben for help, even if the growing slope to her abdomen made lifting and cradling the BB unit a bit awkward.

She grunted as she heaved him upwards and against her chest, and then as she lugged him over to join D-O. “I ought to make you run alongside with us,” she chastised him. He beeped in protest, a series of pops and whistles that comically told her off. She smiled. “You’re right, you could never keep up.”

He objected again, and this time, a small laugh left her lips as she secured him in along D-O. He caused the mesh hold to bulge out hilariously, and another, breathy sound of humor came from her as she jostled the ropes.

They held securely enough, and she knew, if they needed to, either one of them could keep them in place with the Force.

Rey moved to climb astride the speeder, then, situating herself in the seat and scooting close to the dusty instrumentation. Her fingers deftly skimmed the interface as it brightened to life, and she was reminded fondly of the one she’d crafted on Jakku—which had answered placidly to the touch of her fingerprint, but violently to the contact of anyone else.

A self-satisfied, nostalgic smile played on her mouth as she adjusted her legs on either side of the speeder, gripping it tightly with her thighs. Once she was situated, she twisted her torso and extended a hand to Ben, one of her brows quirked as she sought to guide him on board behind her. A bit of eagerness shone on her expression

“Come on, then.”

Speech

don't let go

I think I can figure something out...

Ben cocked his head to the side, minds beginning to turn over her words at the smirk he saw that subtly changed her expression. Continuing to think over her words he stopped leaning against the speeder as she clearly made way to turn it on.  Giving the vehicle some space Ben turned his eyes away from Rey to watch as the repuslorlifts activated.

Her delight was a small flame, flickering weakly but still noticeable even within the darkest night.  It attracted him like a defenseless moth, inviting him closer and closer just so he could see how warm and wonderful the feeling of that flame might be.

Relaxing his arms, they fell away from his chest as he looked at D-O wheel himself after Rey beckoned him closer.  Just as in the cantina, Ben was ready to help but only whenever she called on him for assistance.  Even if his care for her asked him to step in and help her place D-O in the side compartment.  It was something he was able to ignore rather easily, given that Ben knew the droid was light.  When it came to BB-8, though, Ben was a little more tempted to step in.

Nevertheless, he managed to refrain and only looked on as Rey awkwardly, but with obvious determination, lifted the BB unit into the side compartment alongside D-O.  

The brief laugh that had come from Rey had been lovely to hear.  Ben didn't care how small it had been, only that it had happened at all.  He had missed hearing it over the past few days.  Just like he had missed quite a few other things that she normally did.  Hearing it, though, was a little reassuring; it let him know that she was focusing on other things.

Eyeing the droids, BB-8 in particular who made a rather hilarious sight, Ben only returned his attention to Rey as he noticed her climbing onto the speeder.  Plainly placing herself in a position that meant she would be driving Ben lifted a questioning brow at her.  Not a single word passed his lips, however — not when he saw the new smile that came over her.

She knew what she was doing.

His curious look left him, turning into something warm as she held out her hand towards him.  Ben didn't need the bond to see that she was eager; she was ready to go.

Without a hint of hesitation, Ben reached out to take her hand, grip firm as he moved closer.  Moving to easily sit right behind her, Ben couldn't resist commenting on what little he was picking up on.   "Either you know how to drive one of these, or you're really excited to finally have the chance to."  Ben said to her, letting his hand release her's and natural fall to mindfully wrap his arm around her waist.  Having no complaints in sitting close to her or being the one having to hang onto her for once, Ben moved his other arm to carefully wrap around her waist, too.

He sighed, gladly accepting whatever fate awaited him.  "Whatever you do, just watch out for others."  He joked, although his words were a little too genuine to play off as a simple tease.

Ben knows he should have known better, should have expected Rey to know how to handle a speeder, but he was still caught off guard whenever she pushed the speeder to go forward.  On instinct, his arms had tensed, but they quickly relaxed as he remembered to be mindful of her growing belly and tightened his grip his thighs had on the speeder.

It was evident that he wasn't used to this but as Rey pushed on Ben could do nothing more than hold on and call out her name in concern and worry.




Speech

All great and precious
things are lonely

When he joined her on the back of the speeder, she angled her head slightly to the side to hear him over the engines. They weren’t loud, but neither were they the glamorous purr of some expensive vehicle. One of her hands came to wordlessly lay over his, squeezing for a moment before she redirected her attention to the speeder’s instrumentation. Even as she listened, her fingers were deftly thumbing each mechanism to life. She spared a reassuring glance back at her droids, ensuring they were secure, before she jolted out of the parking spot and towards the roads.

It was more sensitive, more responsive, than she was used to, and she grinned nervously as it jerked beneath her. “Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing, you’re in good hands,” she called back to him, soothing despite the speeder’s bucking. His remark over watching out for others made her snort, but she gripped the speeder tighter with her legs as she spurred it forward, levelling her eyes towards the road.

Notably, she didn’t take the route that’d brought them to the cantina. No, that would bring them to their destination far too quickly, and though the sourness of her present self-esteem made it impossible for her to speak her enthusiasm aloud, she couldn’t help but indulge in toying with the speeder a while longer.

The guilt remained. But for now, just for now, she let this brief flare of joy stamp it out.

The roads broadened and the pedestrians thinned out, and she gunned the speeder onward, angling her body forward, lowering it behind the glass paneling that shielded the operation panel. She was only vaguely aware of Ben calling her name, and she tossed a swift glance back at him.

But she pushed the speeder faster, curious to how it wheezed—but it drove forth without any of the hesitance her battered old creation had shown. It was faster, steadier, and undoubtedly more reliable. Rey was almost sad that they’d be selling it once she’d had her fill of adrenaline, and she was sadder still that there were none of the vast, sand-covered dunes that had sprawled over Jakku.

Although every street sign whipped by in a blur, especially as she urged the speeder faster for nothing more than the exhilaration of it, her eyes burning with tears and the wind stinging the smile from her face, she was certain she could find their way back to the mercantile district as she wove through roads and slower traffic.

As fortune were have it, the streets further into and away from Keren were remarkably empty—or else accompanied by speeders moving with equal fervor. Or, Rey noted with satisfaction, they just sped by too quickly to notice how many onlookers there were.

She might’ve been more daring were it not for the inexperienced cargo she had aboard, but that didn’t stop her from banking hard against a sharp right turn, leaning to the left as the speeder precariously rolled to the right. And despite the bits of gravel that stung her face, she laughed at Ben’s arms tightening around her and the nervous whistles of BB-8, which were all but drowned out by the howl of the wind.

However far they had traveled, Rey couldn’t be sure—she only knew that she felt a thrilling surge race through her abdomen as they approached a hill that was relatively deeper than the rest. Not steep, but enough of a downward plummet to satisfy her daring streak; and enough of an incline to get some air, if she kept her speed.

No amount of wariness from Ben could stamp out her giddiness as she gladly let the speeder plunge over the descent, gaining speed at the behest of the modest slope. Nowhere near as dramatic as she might’ve liked, but certainly just enough to take off the edge—her hand slammed hard on the acceleration as they remounted the hill, and the speeder surged forward with a violent jerk as its engines huffed.

If anyone looked on at them with judgment, Rey hardly had a mind to care. Not when the repulsory generator roared as the speeder ascended the hill with a little more air than she’d intended. Rey couldn't help the soft whoop of joy she gave.

She leaned back with another anxious laugh as the speeder returned, roughly, to its designed height. And despite the bursting flame for more that ate away at her, she resigned herself to withdrawing her speed before she destroyed their new bargaining chip.

Rey was breathless as she slowed the speeder, still laughing softly as she glanced back at the droids, and at Ben.

“It’s not as much of a rustbucket as I thought,” she said, dropping a hand to pat the machine on the side. It was warm to the touch, and she smiled to herself as she urged it onward, dashing the burning tears from her dry eyes as she blearily tried to make out street signs. For once, she wished she’d had her goggles. Squinting, she managed to redirect them onto a road back towards the mercantile district.

“I don’t think we hit anyone,” she added. “Everyone alright back there?”

Speech

don't let go

Ben had done many daring maneuvers before in starships; was able to do them without hesitating whatsoever but somehow those felt far safer than this.  There was no cockpit around them and nothing the ensure that they wouldn't fall off as Rey pushed the speeder away from the cantina.  

He had no control here (didn't even know if he really wanted any control) and it filled him with an exhilarating sort of fear.  He was tenser than he cared to be and knew he wouldn't be able to relax at all as she drove them quickly down the streets of Keren.  Ben trusted her, he truly did, but at that very moment, the hands he was in didn't feel all that safe.

The stinging of the wind in his face had him turning away and looking anywhere but forward for the most part.  The call of her name had been useless and Ben silently admitted to defeat as he continued to hold onto her and let her drive the speeder to her heart's content.  

He had jumped into the mouth of a beast, taken on brigades of foot soldiers on his own, but for some reason this made him feel a little too vulnerable.  It was crazy how that worked.  Ben trusted Rey however, and it was more than clear now that she understood how to hand a speeder very well.  

When another laugh came, one Ben knew was from excitement, not even his anxiety over falling off could stamp out the reluctant smile that made his lips twitch.  Learning from losing his balance, Ben reaffirmed his grip and kept it that way for the remainder of the ride.

Getting further carried away by all of it, aside from sparing a passing thought to the myriad of individuals that could be watching them and judging them, Ben's attention was completely on Rey and turning to focus on wherever she was taking them.

The wind whipped by his ears loudly, drowning out any other noise.  Even though he already knew it would be useless to call out her name again, Ben did just that at the sight of the incline she was clearly taking them toward.  "Rey..." He had anxiously called as he felt the speed of the speeder increase.  She didn't react aside from making them go faster and, once again, Ben found himself accepting his fate.

Body tensing as they neared the top of the incline, his expression pinched as he prepared himself for the descent.

No matter his own feelings, fears, nothing could overcome that surge of warmth at the sound of her joy Ben managed to hear.  Once the speeder was back to its normal height Ben let out a breathless laugh, shaking his head and placing his forehead against her shoulder as she leaned back.  Giving himself a moment of reprieve Ben lifted his head up soon enough, looking over her shoulder as she reduced their speed.

He could hear her gentle laughs a little better now, and it made a smile stay on his face despite his edges being a little frayed from the anxious rush of adrenaline.  Lending a close ear to everything she said, Ben also glanced to where she had put the droids.  They appeared fine and well.

"As alright as one can be.  Should have known you knew how to drive one of these things."  He says over the calmer rush of wind.  There's a lot of things he believes he should have known about her, and he finds that even if he does know her, Ben doesn't know everything.

Maybe he never will, but that was fine.  It meant there would be more things to learn about her for a long time to come.

Feeling another sigh leave him as the adrenaline rushing through his veins lowers, his arms loosen a little bit.  "I admit, though, that despite being terrified it was fun."  Ben could only appreciate her antics after the fact.  He had been filled with too much worry during all of it that he hadn't been able to really appreciate it.  "Definitely won't be forgetting this."  Just as he wouldn't be forgetting a lot of times he had spent with her.

As they were getting closer to the mercantile district again, Ben let his head rest back against her shoulder, enjoying just the simple nature of the ride.  "You sure you want to sell this?"  He asked her, knowing well enough that she had had fun driving it.  "We could easily fit it in the cargo bay,"  he went on,  "Find some open place and go as fast and as far as you like."  A smile tugged at his lips at the image that presented.

Whatever she wanted to do with the speeder, in the end, Ben knew he wouldn't object to it. This had been fun for her though, and anything that might give her that sort of delight Ben was going to make sure she had a chance to keep it.




Speech

All great and precious
things are lonely

“I built my own on Jakku. It was my baby,” she answered, glancing back at him briefly as she navigated the road at a more manageable pace. “I’ve been driving speeders for years.” And it had seemed more worthwhile to spook him with uncertainty by going in headfirst without offering that details. One of her hands lowered to pat his where they lay over her stomach.

“Terrified?” At that, Rey couldn’t help but laugh. Her eyes still burned from the wind, but she shook her head and looked forward. “I never would’ve thought you’d be afraid of a speeder.” That wasn’t what he meant, of course, but the opportunity to tease him was irresistible.

Her heart felt lighter as she followed the roadsigns carefully, periodically taking a wrong turn or else convincing herself they were on the incorrect path. She was capable enough of figuring it out eventually, and as the crowd swelled to indicate their approach, she slowed the speeder considerably more and, again, made sure her droids were secure. The nostalgia of it all made her remind herself that this wasn’t Niima, and it was doubtful anyone peddling their goods here would try to rip the droids out of the mesh hold.

Doubtful, but not impossible.

Ben’s question gave her the slightest pause, and she ran her hand over the instrumentation again as she tried to guide the speeder toward a relatively clear spot near the square of the mercantile district. It was easier said that done, and she found that picking her way through the pedestrians aboard the bulky vehicle was more difficult than careening it through the streets.

“That’s tempting,” she sighed. “But we could use the money. One day, maybe, I’ll get another one.” It was a small sacrifice to make for other luxuries and necessities, and Rey had learned long ago to give up the things she wanted for the things she needed. Not that currency was a pressing issue on Ahch-To, but she was wise enough to realize they’d need something for when they settled.

Which the slope to her abdomen reminded her, day by day, that they would have to. And she was alright with that.

Assuming, of course, the vision didn’t—

One of her hands clenched white against the paneling of the speeder, and she bit down hard on that gnawing thought as it resurfaced to mock her, pulling her from the lull of that brief contentment. Rey swallowed thickly as she parked the bulky vehicle, removed the key, and let it shudder to a point of stillness.  

“So,” she said, swinging her leg over and sliding to the ground. “I can try to get rid of this thing while you get what you need.” Rey watched as he climbed off the speeder behind her, and then she moved to free the droids from the side of the speeder.

D-O seemed pleased, but BB-8 was squawking at her, lecturing her recklessness to a good-natured shake of Rey’s head. Still, it wasn’t intentional when the heavy, rounded body of the metal droid hit the ground a little harder than she’d meant. She mumbled an apology as she turned back to Ben.

She didn’t really want to part ways to attend to their separate jobs, and she was eager to see what he had in mind to buy, but she knew it’d be easier to pawn the speeder off quickly. But a small part of her realized just how’d quickly she’d gone from fun to the cut-and-dry of a task, so she tried to warm her expression a little more, making a weak joke.

“If you trust me not to… you know, ride off with it again,” she smiled uncertainly. “Test drives and all.”

Speech

don't let go

Rolling his eyes kindheartedly at her teasing, it was worth it to hear her amused laughter.  Besides, her teasing had always come from a tender place and it always had been capable of making him relax in ways no calming breath ever could.  

"I never would have thought it either."  He told her with an amused smile as he felt his hold on her relax further.  Able to take in a little more of their surroundings now that she had reduced their speed, Ben glanced around them occasionally to take in the city.  He had thought there wouldn't be much in ways of the unexpected here, but he had been wrong.  Rey always managed to find a way to surprise him; found ways to make things just a little better. She didn't need to try and do this either, somehow, she just always did.

Trusting her, regardless of the thrill-seeking ride she had just taken them on, Ben found himself sitting up further after he asked her about keeping the speeder as Rey guided them through the throng of pedestrians.  He can't say he was surprised when she declined to keep the speeder, it made sense, after all.  They needed the credits.  However, when she said she might get one, one day, Ben resolved to help her make that happen — one day.

Nodding in understanding despite her not being able to see it, Ben was completely unaware of the thoughts that came to her mind at the mention of the future.  If he had known, not a single word would have left him, but he would have brushed a comforting hand against her side or looked at her in silent understanding.

None of that happened though, and Ben remained oblivious.

Releasing her completely he moved back to give Rey room to get off, listening all the while.  Once she was standing up and away Ben moved to do the same, his legs feeling strange as he stood upright.  Taking in where she had parked the speeder a little more as she worked to removed the droids, he considered her suggestion.

He didn't really want to leave her side, but he also knew that she had a point.  It would be easier for them to get what they needed if they separated for a little bit.  But...

It would be okay.

Not caring that her mind had turned so quickly to the tasks at hand, Ben ignored the uncertainty in her smile and looked at her as if everything was fine — because it was, she didn't have to worry.  Ben did appreciate her attempt at trying, though.  D-O and BB-8 idling near Rey, Ben gave her an easy smile.  "Even if you did decide to do that, it's not like I would be upset."  Just extremely worried afterward. He always worried, though.

Taking a step toward her, Ben knew he just didn't want her to get into any true trouble while they were apart.  "Just... be safe."  He murmured as he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"D-O, you stay with Rey and BB-8."  He told the wheeler-droid as he took a step away from the trio.  The droid hummed, acknowledging Ben's request.  Directing his attention back to Rey, he was able to smile softly at her without any issue.  "It shouldn't take me long."  He told her.  "Take your time, though, we can meet back at the Falcon whenever you're done.  If anything comes up, just let me know. Sound good?"  He asked, already planning on getting her something while he was picking up what he needed.  It would be something smile, something less likely to make her feel guilty about him spending what credits they had on it, but he hoped she would enjoy it.




Speech

All great and precious
things are lonely

“I’ll keep that in mind,” she said, gazing up at him. She already knew she had no intention of getting back on the speeder—being apart would only make her more eager to return to the Falcon, and to escape from the crowd. She wished she had the energy to be more fascinated with Keren, as she’d been with Corellia, but her appreciation for the finer things had begun to ebb.

Her eyes closed as he stepped closer to her, his head bowed to press a kiss to her forehead. She was already nodding as she met his gaze. “I will be. I promise,” Rey offered him a small smile, bringing her hand down to pat the blaster on her hip. “You, too, though. Please,” it didn’t need to be said that trouble had more of a knack for finding her, but she was too exhausted to weather much by way of confrontation.

If anything came her way, she already knew she’d be quick to put an end to it.

Her hand went to squeeze his wrist lightly before she let him step away, her eyes lingering on him as he addressed the droid. They both orbited around her ankles, and Rey chanced them a quick look before she met Ben’s eyes again, unable to stop herself from huffing a small laugh. The care of his instructions was considerate, and she nodded with playful obedience. “I’ll meet you back at the Falcon,” she promised him, before gesturing towards the market with her chin. “Go on.”

Rey’s eyes lingered on his back when he departed, and she watched him go for a moment before redirecting her attention to the droids and the speeder.

And despite her reluctance, she slowly hedged open the door to her mind to slowly, timidly creep out. The bond had healed considerably since she’d torn her half into tatters, but her worries often kept her from holding it too tightly. Given their distance, though, she conceded to the want of that small comfort. It was warm and humming with life, and she could see where Ben patiently waited for her on the other side, as he had for days.

She held onto it loosely, with all the care in the world, and exhaled a rattled breath as she spoke to BB-8. The relief was instantaneous, and she closed her eyes as she let her hand rest on the seat of the speeder for a moment.

Then, collecting her wins from the bag on the back, she put the additional credits, the jewelry, and the blaster in whatever storage she could upon her person—in her pockets, her holster, or looped around the leather belt that kept the too-large shirt contained. She made it work as she spoke to BB-8.

“Let’s see if we can get this thing cleaned up.”

---

2,000 credits weren’t quite the haul that Rey had acquired, but she’d been willing to accept an equally thrilling 1,500 when a man a few years older than her made the offer, indicating that it’d been a tremendous help to his family, and they gladly shook hands as she passed him the keys in return. Prior to that, she’d been mostly dodging enquiries regarding the two droids at her side—until the point where BB-8 testily threatened a woman and her son with his torch, which had, inevitably, made Rey laugh.

Both D-O and BB-8 trailed her merrily as she perused the mercantile district afterwards, unable to resist the compelling allure of the market booths and their many trinkets. Inevitably, though, it wasn’t objects that caught her eye, but rather food.

She’d had a few gnawing, insatiable cravings that she’d mostly kept to herself, believing they’d be impossible to fulfill. But now that her coin purse was full and she was surrounded by smells—some wonderful, some foul—she gave in to the temptation of approaching bakers and farmers.

By the time she was making her way back to the Falcon, she’d acquired a woven bag that was full of a variety of baked goods and a few savory selections that’d caught her eye. Spice cake, Churros, Doughnuts, and Fritzle fries were among what she’d purchased, each of them kept securely in their own containers, most of which were homemade by the vendors. She’d also bought a jar of fruit jelly, despite being unsure if it was what Ben meant had been put on waffles, and a plastic bowl sealed shut containing Nuna Gumbo, a dish made of tiny creatures from the Naboo swamp.

Her droids followed her religiously as she opened the Falcon, realizing she’d beaten Ben back, and made her way up the ramp and toward the main hold, where she deposited her winnings and her new acquisitions.

And it was there she waited, sitting cross-legged on the floor with BB-8 and D-O beside her, as she curiously opened the crinkling parchment paper encircling the still-warm doughnuts, sprinkled in something pale and sweet.

Speech

don't let go

He had promised his own safety in return without faltering.  It wasn't something Ben thought would happen; he didn't think he would run into any trouble that might lead to him getting into a confrontation, but he was still going to do his best to keep his promise to her.  They both wanted the other to be safe, it was something Rey had commented on before — the way they ran in circles around each other trying to keep the other safe.  It was an endless cycle.

So if he could keep himself out of trouble and safe without her having to intervene, he was going to do his best.  

Appreciating the compliance, Ben nodded at her when she told him she would meet him back at the Falcon.  "Alright, I'll see you soon."  He told her, taking a step backward.  "I love you."  Ben told her affectionately as he gave her one last smile before turning away from her and heading off toward the market with credits in hand.


His heart warmed at the realization that she had carefully crept out from behind the door he had patiently been waiting to open ajar the past few days.  Devotedly he still waited across the bond for her, completely ready for the moment she felt a little more sure about grabbing onto the bond with a more secure hold.


The market was of a decent size, and Ben knew that he would easily find what he needed to make something other than the simple waffles he had been making Rey.  However, considering that it was that specific food that had led him to get the idea to come to Keren in the first place, the items he needed to make those were the first he acquired.

From there he picked and choose the basics, simple items he knew were common and could easily be made into different things. Despite his years not cooking he had still been exposed to a variety of food and knew what went in specific dishes.

Making sure not to go overboard, Ben knew it was a start.  This simple start was better than he could ask for.

Having attained his own sack that slipped over his shoulder easily thanks to a strap, what he had purchased was within it as he walked through the area of the market that wasn't concerned with consumables.  He was sure he could find what he wanted rather easily.  He was right.

Once he purchased the datapad he still had several hundred credits left, and as he made his way back to the Falcon he made one last purchase of a couple of sweets for Rey.


With everything inside the sack he carried, Ben made his way back to the Falcon with no specific expectation on who would make it there first.  It was clear that it wasn't him, though, when he saw that the ramp to the Falcon was open, waiting for him to enter.  He didn't expect anyone to have tried and gotten into the starship, nevertheless, he still entered with a hint of wariness as he made his way in.  

"Sweetheart?"  He called as he made his way to the main hold.  It seemed that calling out for Rey had been unnecessary as he quickly came upon her, sitting with her droids and treats in hand.

The sight was a lovely one to see, and he doesn't know what about it made it that way.  All Ben knew is that his expression turned impossibly soft.  "I take it you sold the speeder then." He said as he walked over toward her, sliding the pack he had off of his shoulder.  With her still on the floor, Ben was mindful of where he came to kneel at her side, "I have some more things to give you, you can save them for later."  He said with a smile as he reached into the pack and pulled out a container filled with brownies, followed by one filled with a couple of kessinnamon rolls.

Placing them just beside her, Ben didn't stop himself from leaning close to her and placing a fond kiss on her temple.  He didn't care if it was obvious to see that he was being a little more affectionate than usual; he didn't care if she thought it wasn't worth placing such unnecessary kisses on her skin.  Ben loved her and would always find small ways of showing her that he did.

"Is it safe to assume that you managed to stay out of trouble?"  He questioned, tone teasing as he leaned away, looking down at her with a warm smile that just wouldn't leave his face.




Speech

All great and precious
things are lonely

Her mouth had been full when he’d called out for her, so she hadn’t replied. There wasn’t much reason to, anyways, as he rounded the corner with a bag slung over his shoulder. It hadn’t been terribly long that she’d been settled on the floor, but she had still made quick, ravenous work of the doughnuts—plundering them without much consideration. Each one was a different flavor, a deliberate choice on her part, and she couldn’t help but sample each.

Her head lifted as she wiped unceremoniously at her mouth as he approached, curiously eyeing the pack he dropped to the floor as he knelt beside her. “I did,” she said. “For enough to let me indulge a bit without feeling guilty.” She smiled, knowing she hadn’t thought twice about making the first of her purchases, and had had even less inhibitions when making the last.

Rey’s interest stirred as he reached into the bag and pulled out more treats. The containers were sealed, but she eyed them with enough curiosity that said even the sight of them was tempting. Regardless, she resigned to let him lay them beside her before setting the few remaining doughnuts on top of them, folded in their parchment paper.

“Well, I bought quite a bit myself, so you’d best be ready to help me through all of them,” she answered with a smile. Her eyes closed as his lips came to brush her temple, and she leaned into the contact.

The touch was a warm, simple reminder of so many things, and it softened her expression as she met his gaze when he withdrew. It wasn’t a silly thing—not to her. She just couldn’t fathom how, after everything they had seen, he could…

The thought tapered off. Rey forced it too as she gently made to hold onto the bond, if not only a fraction tighter. It wasn’t as electrified as it’d felt in the immediate days following, but it was still sore—not enough to stop her from trying, though.

He believed in her; he believed they would be alright. And she knew, just as she’d told him after the cave had shown him his own nightmares, that thinking otherwise would only lead them down the path they feared.

She had to have faith in herself, and in their family. Even, maybe, in the Force.
If she didn’t, it would ruin her.

Sucking in a slow breath, she smiled in reply to his teasing, crossing her legs beneath her as her back straightened. “BB-8 only had to threaten one person,” she said lightly. Slowly, one of her hands outstretched towards his. “I managed. I guess you did, too, unless you fought for all these.” Rey smiled as she nodded toward the treats he’d brought her.

Her thumb, then, caressed the back of his hand as she sobered. Her eyes dropped to their joined fingers, a moment of quiet settling over her.

“Thanks for taking me here,” Rey started slowly. “I had a good day—especially traumatizing you with a speeder.”

A small grin flashed over her expression as she glanced at him. “So,” she continued. “What if we get the Falcon back in the air, take a quick shower, and then tear through all of these in bed? Unless you got anything else you’d like to show me.”

She shifted up on her knees to scoot closer to him, even if spanning that small gap was a gesture of daring for her lately.

Speech

don't let go

A breathy chuckle had escaped from between his lips before he had placed the kiss on her temple.  He would be more than willing to help her get through the treats, already knowing that he wouldn't eat so many.  Not when he knew she loved sweets so much.  He had gone without eating many sweets for a majority of his life anyway, but even if he hadn't it wouldn't change the fact that Ben was going to make sure she ate most of them.

Unable to miss the change in her expression, how it was softer now, Ben felt something slightly ease inside him.  Slowly he was helping; slowly he was seeing little parts of Rey that he enjoyed seeing.

Another chuckle left him at her mention of BB-8.  "Good job BB-8."  Ben told the droid, turning to look at him with a lighthearted smirk.  BB-8 chirped something out in reply which, of course, Ben couldn't figure out the translation for.  About to ask Rey what the droid had said, he found the thought dying as Rey spoke up again, drawing his attention back to her.

With gentle delight still turning up his lips, he continued to smile at her.  "And get into trouble after promising you I would stay safe?  Please."  He teased with an affectionate roll of his eyes.

Things felt a little closer to normal now, a little more comfortable.  Again, Ben didn't know how long this type of atmosphere would last but he was just glad that it had managed to find its way back to them, even if it was only for a short amount of time.  He just wanted to help, wanted to show her that things could be okay and continue on despite the terrible vision they had both seen.

Expression calming down a bit, he looked to where her hand brushed his.  When she made to join their fingers together, he grabbed on tight.  It was a soothing moment, one that he found relief in when she gave her thanks.  He didn't need her to thank him, but it was nice to hear that she had a good day.  

Anything he could give her to help.

"I'd gladly ride another one of those things with you just to hear your laugh."  His words were nothing but sincere as he brushed his thumb across her fingers.  "I'm glad you had a good day."  He added as he brought her hand up to his lips, not able to fight another wave of desire to show her his love.  Any worry that she hadn't enjoyed at least some bits of it left him as he dropped their hands back down to rest between them.

At her suggestion, a smile of his own flickered across his face.  "That sounds perfect, but I do have one more thing to show you."  He said as he released her hand, digging back into the sack he had placed beside him and reaching in for the datapad he had acquired.  Once in hand, he brought it out to show her.

Holding it out to Rey to let her grab the datapad and mess with it if she wanted, he kept speaking.  "I got this and some datacards.  I thought it might be better to learn how to make some things other than waffles for you.  I also bought a datacard with some works of fiction on it, but this model should be able to connect to some larger networks when we're on planets like Naboo."

He shrugged,  "So if you want, I can make you something later so that you can save your treats, or not.  Whatever sounds more appealing to you."  He said, offering her options as always and knowing that he wouldn't care which she picked.




Speech

All great and precious
things are lonely

It would never fail that his lips against her knuckles would make her skin tingle, and Rey smiled softly as he lowered her hand and then released it, rousing her curiosity once more as he turned to sort through his bag. She wasn’t bothered by the opportunity to see more of what he’d acquired, but she was perplexed by what he was pulled out.

She had seen datapads before, and had worked with older, more complex versions of the slim computers in the past. She’d had one on Jakku, even, although it’d been dated back to Imperial times and barely functioning. It’d contained all of her flight simulators, some of her language instruction, and even blueprints of imperial starships. That, perhaps, was why she took the datapad with some level of giddiness, anxious to know what was on it.

Her eyes lifted toward him as he explained, but her fingers curiously thumbed the handheld computer to life. It was warm in her palm, and the screen glowed softly as she swiped aimlessly through the pages. If there was a datacard inside of it already, she didn’t know.

“Works of fiction…?” Her eyes dragged up to him slowly, more lost than she cared to admit. She knew what the word meant, of course, but— “I don’t know what that is.” The confession wasn’t quite meek, just honest in a way that made her drop her eyes back down toward the datapad. “But I do know what a datapad is,” Rey tacked on helpfully, moreso for herself than him. She offered it back to him as her hand reached for the table, using it to help her stand.

“We can save your cooking for another time, though,” she said, smiling. It would be easy enough to linger behind his shoulder or else keep him company as he worked in the galley, but, right now, she would’ve just preferred to curl up some place safe together.

She stooped to pick his bag up off the ground so he could stand without it. “Besides, we’ll probably need a lot more waking hours for that. I want to see what all you can make,” which was an honest testament to her curiosity, and the questions that she would no doubt pepper him with. When he stood, she offered the pack back to him as she turned to collect her own possessions from the day’s events, including the gifts he’d brought. She settled the containers carefully in the woven bag she’d acquired.

“We can put this stuff away and you can show me what’s on the datacard, at least. Works of fiction and all that." Rey nodded down the hall and toward the galley. “Come on.”

Guiding him down the short corridor, she kept close to his shoulder, trusting him to know where to store their wide variety of sweets. All she kept for herself was the box of brownies, which resembled something she was decidedly interested in tasting.  Otherwise, she pestered him in silence as he placed everything in their proper storage, letting her hands rove thoughtfully over his clothed back as she pressed from the tension from his shoulders.

“You mentioned networks, too,” she said, almost as an afterthought. “What’d you mean by that?”

Speech

don't let go

Giving her a reassuring look at her lack of understanding, Ben hardly cared if she was lost.  If anything, it just was another reminder to him to make sure she had the chance to learn as much as she could about the galaxy.

She deserved to know what sleeping in a house that was hers felt like, and what if felt like to sit down with a homemade plate of food and family around her.  She deserved to know what it felt like to be loved and cherished unconditionally for the rest of her life; deserved to know the different taste of desserts, and deserved to know she had a permanent place where she would always belong.

Rey deserved all of that and so much more.

"Don't worry," he assured her,  "it's just a fancy way of saying 'books about made-up stories.'"  He told her with a kind smile as he took back the datapad and placed it back in the bag.  Nodding at her decision to simple leave his cooking for another time, Ben easily accepted her choice without another thought.

Following her lead, he didn't try and stop her from grabbing the bag he had used to carry what he had bought.  Both of them knew he could have easily grabbed it himself, it wouldn't have been an issue, but nonetheless it was a gesture he appreciated.  Letting out a chuckle, he shook his head kindly at her.  "As much as I would love to do that for you I won't be making everything I can think of in one sitting."  He told her with an amused smile as he took back the pack.

More kind, gentle delight coursed through him at her words and he gladly followed her to the galley to put away what needed to be. Setting down his pack on the small counter once there, he diligently began to remove everything while also remaining attentive to Rey. It was hardly a difficult task, although he found himself lingering closer to her every now and then as she ran her hands across his back.

Ben let himself soak up the soothing touches.  Any form of affection from her was wonderful to receive and Ben couldn't feel a single ounce of uncertainty in it.

Moving to place away her sweets - making a note to remember the jam he found there - he let out an acknowledging hum as she brought up the data networks he had mentioned.  He stopped his task quickly enough when she asked what he meant by that.  "Larger computer networks," he begins, turning to look at her for a moment before returning to his quick task.  "They're capable of storing more information on them than a datapad can.  A lot of places, like Coronet City, have these.  You can access them with a datapad and pull information off of them.  The type of information can vary, though, which is why people prefer to get datacards."

Putting away the last of her treats, Ben reached into the pack one last time to pull out the datacards he had purchased.  Wrapped in a small cloth to keep them from getting dirty, he picked out the one that had a makeshift label on it that marked it as having the works of fiction stored on it.  Turning to her while he put away the other card, he grabbed the datapad from where he had placed it on the counter.  Ben easily inserted the datacard into the pad and, while letting Rey look, then navigated to where he could now access the data.

A screen showing various digitized works of fiction popped up.  Ben held out the datapad toward her to let her see.

"I didn't get many, just this one to possibly pass the time and then another with recipes on it to try out for you.  That was mainly the reason I decided to get it.  I want to be able to make things other than waffles for you"  He told her with a soft smile.  "I don't know if Keren has a network, but we can look later if you like.  Other than that, I think this model can record audio, capture images — things like that."  Ben said with a shrug assuming that, since Rey had said she knew what a datapad was, she probably already knew this.




Speech

All great and precious
things are lonely

Rey hadn’t stopped gently puzzling through his explanation even as she ran her hands over his back and listened to his words regarding networks. She was intrigued, both with the datacard he’d mentioned, and with the idea of free-floating information. It lit her eyes up with interest, and she made sure to remember to play around with the datapad whenever he wasn’t busy with it.

It might’ve been a wildcard of what information a network had to offer, but Rey had already resolved to try it herself—one day. She almost wished she’d gotten a datapad for herself, but the thought hadn’t crossed her mind.

Dropping her hands from Ben’s back as he turned to unravel the datacard from a piece of cloth, she stepped closer to watch as he inserted it into the datapad. It was simple enough that she surely could’ve figured it out herself, but it was nonetheless a happy instance to watch the screen brighten with colors as he accessed the card’s stored information. Rey angled her head over it with clear curiosity, her smile broadening as she listened.

A laugh left her as he mentioned waffles again, glancing at him with a certain decisiveness. The comedy of such a word coming from his mouth would never really ebb—and neither would her gratitude for the care he’d shown in trying to make her those to begin with. That day was a fond memory; one that left both her, and their children, with a name.

Her eyes lingered on him for a moment, her hold on the bond strengthening slightly, and she watched him with tenderness.

An idea had already fleshed itself out in her mind by the time he mentioned the datapad’s capacity for recording video and audio, and she slowly extended a hand. “Images? How do I do that?” She asked, her fingers hovering impatiently over the digital surface. He navigated through some of the touchscreen buttons with ease, albeit searching in a way that gave Rey the indication that he wasn’t immediately sure, but it wasn’t long before the datapad was reflecting a comical image of their faces.

Rey’s immediate reaction was to laugh—enamored, instantaneously, with the mirror image of her own face. She’d never thought herself to be particularly lovely, and she possessed the furthest thing from a vain streak. She was better accustomed to dirt and grit; to the sweat and the mess that came with having a good time.

But that didn’t mean she didn’t have an appreciation for the sight of their faces together—a surreal realization that they were together. That she, at last, could see what they looked like beside on another.

A clumsy touch of her finger caused the datapad to freeze their faces in an unprepared, laughable frame—one that made Rey snort softly—as she stared down at it.

“I like this,” she said softly, mostly saying the words to herself. It took her a moment to figure out how to make the image disappear, albeit leaving her uncertain if it’d vanished entirely or had been saved somewhere, but she nonetheless resigned herself to sticking out her tongue.

It was a slow, cautious moment—as if she were still easing slowly back into the idea of letting herself enjoy something; as if she was unsure if she deserved it.

But she didn’t see anything dark in her hazel eyes. Just the hilarity of her own expression as she twisted her lips, stuck her tongue out all the way, squinted her eyes, and wrinkled her nose.

She captured another picture that was, somehow, a combination of them all—leaving her with the frozen sight of her own, warped features. Her laugh was more than a snort, then, as she stared down at the datapad.

“This was all we needed, really,” she teased, grinning. She managed to mimic her motions from before, making the image disappear and leaving a clean slate, before she awkwardly lifted her arm while reaching on the tips of her toes to press a soft kiss to his cheek.

Rey withdrew with an uncertainty of if she’d managed to do what she wanted—and rewarded with the feeble effort of part of Ben’s head having been cut off by the height she’d held the camera at, but she decided she didn’t mind.

It was better than anything else she’d ever had, anyways.

“Perfect,” she laughed, looking at him. “I really just wanted to see myself, anyways,” Rey added, winking. “We can take one of the rest of your face later, if it makes you feel better.”

Speech

don't let go

To feel her grab onto the bond a little more filled him with an inexplicable warmth that was filled with relief and absolute love for her.  He wanted to reach out for her, grab her hand where it fastened its grip a little more and just reassure her even more that it was going to be okay.

They would be okay.

Craving that sensation of warmth from her holding the bond more, he easily worked on figuring out the datapads interface to pull up the specific application that would allow her to capture images.  

Her laugh was wonderful, beautiful, and that rare dimpled smile of his broke out on his face as he glanced away from the reflected image of the both of them together to look at her actual face and not just a copy of it.  His arm that was closest to her wrapped around her back then, pulling her closer to him.  Glancing at the clumsy snapshot she had taken of them together, Ben already knew she was going to be occupied with the datapad for some time.

He looked forward to it.

"I can tell."  He murmured with noticeable affection, heart beginning to ache from the amount of joy that was slowly building up inside of him.  Turning his eyes back to the datapad he let out a surprised chuckle at the face he saw Rey was beginning to make.  Ben couldn't quite make himself do the same as she was, so he just watched with a blinding smile on his face, letting out a more carefree, kind laugh as she pressed the datapad to capture the image.

Ben couldn't stop the amount of love he felt for her if he even tried.  It was wonderful to see her joyful smile as she looked up at him.

Watching curiously as she lifted the datapad, it was instinct for him to lean into the unsuspecting kiss that she planted against his cheek.  Toothy grin having grown smaller, the smile he still had on his face was bright as Rey pulled away from him, allowing Ben to look at the picture she had taken.

He didn't care about whether or not he was in it, only that it had captured another moment where she looked absolutely wonderful.

Laughing with her, Ben turned his warm eyes to her.  Wrapping his arm around her just a bit more,  "Later," he agreed, knowing he would enjoy any amount of time if it involved more happiness like this.  "Although your face is far more wonderful to look at than mine."  He murmured as he leaned close to place a tender kiss near her neck.

The feeling inside his chest, one of unconditional love, ached in such a painfully pleasant way that silently told Ben just how much he loved the woman he currently held in his arm.  He couldn't possibly hold it all in.

"I love you, so much and no matter what, sweetheart, I'm always going to love you."  There was so much affection in his words but also a sliver of pain, a pain that was only there because he had missed this.  Burying his face against her neck for a moment, he soaked in her presence and enjoyed the closeness that he cherished so much.

Placing another kiss against her skin, he moved his head back, looking down at her with all the caring love he had inside of him to spare. "Come on, let's go shower and then you can play with the datapad some more while we work on those brownies."  Ben suggested as he rubbed a hand against her side.  




Speech

All great and precious
things are lonely

No matter her fading misery, hearing his laugh was equally precious to her. She glanced his way with a broader grin as she gazed down at the image, carefully repeating the steps to make it disappear. She hoped her gifts had been saved somewhere in the datapad, but if they hadn't been, she was resolved to find out how and leave him plenty more to compensate. Only the arm that encircled her waist, growing tighter by the moment, and the words he murmured against her skin kept her from solving the puzzle now.

"Not to me," Rey hummed. "I like to look at your face." A pinch more of amusement hid in her voice, and she nudged her head lightly against his.

Rey closed her eyes as his lips brushed her skin, holding the datapad to her chest with one hand while her other arm slowly rose to brush through his hair. Her fingers were careful, nowhere near as brazen in twining the dark strands around them as she might've normally been. But she was touching him, at least, with less hesitation than she'd shown the past few days.

Her hold on the bond became a little more confident as he spoke, and warmth crept up her cheeks as she closed her eyes, hugging herself closer to the security of his chest as he burrowed his face in her neck.

His words stung in ways she couldn't fathom. Not because of anything he'd done, of course - only because she still doubted that she was deserving of his unconditional love, his loyalty, for her.

"Ben..." she started slowly, and her mouth spasmed with emotion as she tightened her hold upon the datapad.

She didn't argue with him, though. "I love you, too," she did. She loved him more than she'd known she could ever love anything; needed him in ways that she had only ever coveted food, water. Survival. That was what he was to her now, she supposed. A pinprick of fear pinched at her heart, but she didn't let her hold upon the bond falter as she exhaled quietly and she nestled against him. "No matter what."

Rey had to fight to suppress the vision - to remind herself that he was everything, as were the two lives she carried with her. She wouldn't hurt them. She wouldn't -

Her hand had clenched against the back of his neck, pacified only by the second kiss that brushed against her neck. Rey was reluctant to let him part from her, but she watched him with a quiet, soft gaze as he spoke. She kept her body angled near to his as she nodded, smiling and taking his hand in hers - leading them first to the bedroom to collect fresh clothes, set the datapad and the container of brownies down, and then to the refresher to wash away the events of the day.

Not wanting to rob him of anymore of his clothes, Rey had kept the shirt she'd worn throughout the day on her person, only replacing her leggings with something fresh. Her first order of business was to seal and lock the Falcon to the rest of the world, and then dim the lights upon the freighter as she returned to the bedroom - where she had instructed Ben to wait.

She lowered the lights within their room, too, before climbing onto the bed and over Ben, nestling comfortably on her side and leaving the small container of baked goods between them. Rey had hardly settled down before she was grabbing a brownie and meticulously sampling it, her legs stretched out as she settled against the pillows, letting her head rest near his shoulder.

It took just as little time for her to quietly indicate the datapad. "Is the... fiction data card still in it? Can we look at those?"

Speech

don't let go

Ben knew he had caused the joyful mood between them to slightly subside, but he knew he would have regretted not speaking his love out loud for her to hear.  Forgoing the chance to speak his love, to breath it against her skin, was something he would always regret.

He would also always mourn never taking the chance to try and make her smile, or taking the chance to gain a laugh or place a kiss against her skin.  He would simply regret not doing his absolute best to try and show her that he loved her.

It didn't even seem possible to love someone so much as Ben loved Rey, but he did.  Someway, somehow, he did; somehow, someway, he found it possible to still love her even more.

Grateful that she hadn't loosened her hold on the bond after what he had said, he returned her smile as she took hold of his hand and led him away.  It was so easy to do, so normal, to follow after her and let her guide him to wherever it was she had in mind.  This time Ben knew where they were going, but even if he hadn't, he would have followed without a single question falling from his lips.

Every moment, no matter how quick, he treasured; he adored the simplicity, the domesticity, of it all.  Afterward, in more relaxed clothing - minus a shirt - that Ben knew to be Han's once upon a time, he patiently waited in the room while Rey had gone to see to it that the Falcon was locked up tight.

Even with her gone during that time, the small smile on his face didn't leave — couldn't leave, really.  

Resting back against the pillows he had glanced toward the door to the room at the sound of it opening for Rey.  Smiling, expression changing to something softer, a flicker of amusement ran through him at her climbing over him. Once she settled on her side of the bed, Ben allowed the little space between them to remain given that the brownies were there.

Looking at her with such open affection, he hardly thought about grabbing one of the treats like Rey had.

Only her question that called for him to grab the datapad made him finally look away.  "It should be."  He told her as he worked to access the books again, careful to not hit the container of brownies with his elbow as he did so.  Once he had finally brought up the collection of books, he looked over to her.

"Has anyone ever read you a story before?"  He asked, voice gentle and low like the darkness in the room asked them to be.  "I can read one to you, if you want?"  It would hardly be a difficult or unpleasant task, only another one that would become another tender memory to look back on.




Speech

All great and precious
things are lonely

Rey leaned in closer as he accessed the datapad and pulled open the library of small treasures the card inside contained. She peered curiously at the screen before, noticing that he hadn’t grabbed on himself, grabbing another brownie and occupying his free hand with it with a smile. She all polished off her brownie, too, as she drew her legs to her chest and curled up beside him.

“Read me a story?” Rey smiled, sighing. “No. No one’s ever read me a story,” she kissed his shoulder lightly, her voice equally low within the quite content of their bedroom. A small realization dawned over her, and she huffed a soft laugh as she gazed at him. “You get a lot of my firsts.”

Nestling her head against his shoulder, Rey nodded at his invitation, letting her eyes slide shut. “I’d like that—you can set these on the floor beside the bed,” she added, nodding to the container. When he did, a soft hum left her as she took advantage of the space that’d been freed between them, crossing that gap with a soft shuffle nearer.

“You pick.” Each of the digitalized covers seemed equally appealing to her, and with the soft timbre of his voice speaking the words aloud, she knew that she would enjoy them all equally. Already, on a stomach full of something other than ration packs, her skin still warm from the heat of the shower, and within the dark comfort of their room, she knew it’d be like a lullaby.

Only once he’d finished his own brownie—even if she had to force feed him—did she settle further into the bed. Drawing his arm around her waist, she quietly linked their fingers together and pulled his palm to lie flat over her abdomen.

“I think they’d enjoy hearing it, too,” Rey whispered, stealing a small smile toward him.

Her eyes slid shut even as she listened intently once he began. The words were a blur, though—the story directionless—as she held upon the security of his familiar cadence, and the warm fluidity with which he read. It might as well have been a song, for all she knew, sinking further against the mattress and his body as a blind hand reached out to pull the sheets over her.

And it wasn’t long at all before her breathing had turned into something soft and slow, her fingers lax against his own and her head lying heavily upon his body.

Speech

don't let go

You get a lot of my firsts.

And what a wonderful privilege that was.  But she got a lot of his firsts, too.

The first to receive all his love, the first to see him smile in so long, the first to give him hope.

So yes, Rey got many of his firsts.  Ben couldn't dream of having given them to anyone else.

Smiling down at her, completely in love, he easily did as she requested.  With the container out of the way, Ben was free to enjoy that closeness with her once more.  Although slightly reluctant to do so, he did finish the brownie at her behest, able to polish off the small treat with little trouble.

He was glad once he did, though, because it allowed her to take his hand and place the palm of it on top of her growing abdomen.

It still felt so surreal.  The fact that he was going to have a family, had a wonderful wife — sometimes Ben couldn't believe it at all. That gentle bloom inside his chest was a soft reminder that it was real, though.  This moment was real.  

Smiling at her words he bowed his head to kiss the top of her head.  Although it was a brief, affectionate kiss, Ben knew it still got across all he felt for her as his side of the dyad glowed.  Once he returned his attention to the datapad he simply chose the first book listed, not that concerned with what it was about.  This moment that was more important.

Softly he began to read the words to her, thumb mindlessly brushing her abdomen as he did.  Everything about this was just so simple, so natural, and he allowed himself to sink into that relaxing warmth their bodies shared with one another as he continued to gently read to her the story.

It is only when he heard a familiar heavy breath that he always found charming did he stop reading.  A fond smile tugging at his lips, he glanced down to see that Rey had fallen asleep.

As carefully as possible he set the datapad down by the container of brownies, leaving it there with hardly any worry about something happening to it.  Afterward, he gently shifted to better wrap his arms around her, pulling her closer to his chest.  It's then that he felt completely at peace; there was nowhere else he would rather be or nowhere else he wanted to be.  Just like this, he knew he could be happy forever.

"Goodnight, sweetheart."  He tenderly whispered, planting one last, light kiss on her head before he allowed himself to let out a relaxing breath that pulled him closer towards sleep.




Speech