The Foundling

Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to their respective owners.

A/N-thank you to everyone who kindly left a review on this story.

Chapter Ten-Escape

Rey felt like her heart was going to explode. Adrenaline flooded her body, pumping and beating violently like it was trying to escape. She had never felt such overwhelming fear in her life. As she battled to navigate the Falcon through space-difficult because she was missing a co-pilot-she tried to maintain her focus. All her attempts to communicate with Ben telepathically through their force bond failed, which only increased her level of panic. Rey couldn't get the image of Luke standing over Ben, his lightsaber poised to strike, out of her head. She kept reliving Ben's overwhelming alarm upon awakening to find his uncle about to murder him in his sleep. It was like some kind of surreal nightmare. What had happened to provoke Luke into trying to kill his own nephew? She knew the relationship between Ben and Skywalker had soured over recent months, Ben had made no secret of his frustration at the way his uncle was treating him, but for Luke to do this? It made no sense.

The Millennium Falcon shuddered as Rey hit a meteorite storm. God, she needed to focus, otherwise she would be blasted out of existence before she even reached the Jedi temple. She was beginning to regret her hasty departure. Instead of sneaking away, she should have awoken Han and Leia and told them what she had witnessed. But if she had, there would have been questions. She would have had to tell them about the bond she shared with their son. It was a secret that she and Ben had kept to themselves for years. They hadn't verbally agreed to do this. It was an instinctual reaction on both their parts. It was just one of the many secrets that had been kept from Han and Leia.

Rey narrowly avoided being hit as she did her best to navigate her way through the perilous part of space. She clenched her teeth in frustration at the delay. She tried reaching out to Ben, but she hit the same wall of silence. Her wild imagination was doing her no favours. It conjured up different scenarios, each one more horrifying then the next. What if Luke succeeded in killing Ben? What if Ben, in self-defence, killed Luke? Rey couldn't bear the thought of it. Her fear felt like a kind of madness. Her apprehension grew and grew, and she only found a semblance of relief when she cleared the asteroid field and was in open space again.

Ben stared in horror as the flames engulfed the Jedi temple. He tried running toward it, knowing that some of the other students were still inside, but he was blown backwards by a wall of intense heat as another explosion rocked the very foundations. Ben drew back, his skin scorched and the acrid smell of burning stinging his nostrils when he breathed. The temple was like an inferno. A wall of black smoke forced him to retreat further. He knew there was going to be no survivors.

"I never!" He cried to the empty air. "I didn't want this!"

"And you did not choose it, Ben. The Jedi did. Skywalker."

Ben put his hands over his ears as he tried to shut out the whispering voice in his head. The smoke coming from the ruined temple billowed black in the air, filling his lungs every time he drew breath. He began to cough violently as the tears washed over his eyes. His hands trembled and his eyes continued to water as fear twisted his gut. Skywalker was dead. After he had awoken to find his uncle standing above him, ready to strike him down, he barely had time to defend himself, calling to his saber as he parried Luke's blade, before collapsing the hut down on top of his master using the Force.

Strange storm clouds continued to swarm above the ruined temple. More lightening erupted from those black clouds, striking at the very epicentre of the burning building. Ben stared in horror as the explosion scattered the dead bodies of the students. He surveyed the death and destruction, his tears stinging his sore cheeks as he wept for all those lives lost. The whispering voice tried to communicate with him again, but he shut it off, blocking everything else out around him as he tried to quieten his mind.

Time passed slowly. Ben collapsed onto the ground, the sweat drenching his skin. His eyes throbbed with all that he had seen, his heart thumped painfully against his chest. Rain began to fall, dampening the flames, though a few smouldered and continued to lick at the temple's sides, seeming determined to turn it all to ash. Ben lay on his side on the cold hard earth, his fingers curled into tight fists, his nails digging into the palms of his hands. Time seemed suspended now, a quiet calm descended, a blessed relief after all the destruction.

Ben became aware of something probing at the edges of his mind. He feared it was that same whispering voice again. He tried to shut it down again until he realised that it was Rey desperately trying to communicate with him.

"Rey?" He reached out to her with his mind, his rapid breathing increasing in intensity as the oxygen flooded in and out of his lungs.

"Ben!" Rey was practically sobbing with relief. "You're alive!"

"Rey." Ben whispered her name like a prayer over and over. He was incapable of forming any other word.

"I'm here, Ben." Rey answered him. "Look up!"

Ben raised his burning eyes to the brightening sky above his head. In the faint light of the rising dawn he saw the familiar outline of the Millennium Falcon as it began to make its descent. The ship signalled hope.

Rey and his parents had come for him!

The fear overwhelming his body had drastically exhausted him. Ben managed to stagger to his feet, his eager gaze searching for his family as the Falcon's ramp finally opened. His heart was in his throat, his fingers twitching with nerves as he waited for his parents to descend the ramp-Han and Leia would make things right. Once he explained…

Ben's chaotic thoughts came crashing to halt when he realised Rey was alone. He watched as she ran down the ramp, skidding crazily at the end in her haste to reach him. Her long brunette hair was tied in an intricate braid around the back of her head. She was wearing some kind of white tunic dress. It was partially covered in grime. A leather belt hung low at her waist, several weapons were strapped to it, including the saber he had given to her as a gift. She hadn't grown much in stature since he had last seen her, the change was mostly in her eyes. In dawn's early light, her hazel eyes were like dew, scattering the nascent rays, ever illuminating his soul.

Rey seemed to sense his question before he had even asked it. "I panicked." She admitted breathlessly. "When I saw what Lu…" She paused when she saw him flinch. "I'm so sorry, Ben." Her incredible eyes glistened with tears as she carried on with her explanation. "Han and Leia were asleep. I wasn't thinking straight. I stole the Falcon and came straight here. I was so scared that I wasn't going to get here in time."

"You stole the Falcon?" Ben asked incredulously. Even as he fought against his disappointment that Rey had come alone, he was as equally as touched by her reckless bravery in her attempt to come to his rescue. The Falcon wasn't built to be piloted alone. She had taken a huge risk.

"I wasn't thinking straight." Rey admitted as she averted her eyes from him.

Ben couldn't believe she was actually feeling ashamed of what she had done. She kept avoiding his gaze the more he tried to make eye-contact with her. Soft wisps of her silky brown hair that had escaped her intricate braid, swept past an ear and caressed the skin of her neck, jaw and cheeks. Those hazel eyes rimmed with thick, long, dark lashes that brushed her cheeks every time she closed her eyes, seemed to bore into him every time he looked into them and nearly lost himself. Over the years, he had learned to read her through the emotions that danced like fire, licking at the walls of her perfect gaze. However, sometimes, like today, the fire dwindled down to smouldering ember and even he, who had gotten to know the young woman Rey had become, could not tell what emotions were soaring just beyond those walls.

Fighting to breathe, Ben reached for Rey. He cuddled her against him. Her mere presence was like a little touch of heaven. Her arms slid around his waist as she clung to him. Holding her so close calmed the storms raging inside his heart. She was his light in the darkness, a lone star in an otherwise empty sky. They remained glued to each other for a long time until the sun claimed dominance in the sky.

"Ben, we have to go." Rey begged him. "There's nothing more we can do here."

The charred remains of the Jedi temple stood in the pale morning light like a skeleton. It had once been so alive, so vibrant. Inside had been a place of love and security, a place of memories and warmth. But now nothing but the wind whistled through the ruined building. Rey pleaded with Ben to move, but he seemed frozen in place. They had already checked for any signs of life from underneath the rubble of the hut Ben had collapsed on top of Luke the night before. It remained as lifeless and broken as the ruined temple.

"Please, Ben, we need to go. We need to contact Han and Leia and tell them what happened." She begged again.

"Tell them what?" Ben responded bitterly. "You know they're not going to believe me."

"Ben, I saw what he did. Luke attacked you!" Rey cried.

"And how are you going to explain it?" Ben demanded. "Are you going to tell them about the Force bond?"

"Yes." Rey's eyes flickered with confusion. "Ben?"

"They won't believe you, Rey." Ben's eyes turned bleak as he looked down at her from his great height. "They already think I'm evil. I've heard them talking about me over the years. They're scared of me. Its why my mother was always so determined to keep me away from you. They'll think I manipulated you into covering for me. You know its true."

Rey's lower lip quivered as his despair washed over her. She wanted to deny the truth of his words, but she knew he was right. "What are we going to do?" She whispered sadly.

"We?" Ben bit back a choked sob as he drew her into his arms again. "You need to go back to them, Rey. I don't want you caught up in all this. Lie. Tell them that when you got here, I was already gone."

Rey shook her head stubbornly. "No, I'm not leaving you."

"You have to." Ben whispered against her hair. Even as he tried to push her away, he was pulling her tighter against him. He closed his eyes, his heart aching at the thought of losing her all over again.

"No." Rey's voice was muffled against his chest. "I won't leave you. We're in this together."

The cold wind ruffled his inky black hair as he cuddled her against his warm body. She burrowed her face further against his chest as she continued to cling to him. Ben wondered why she remained so devoted to him over the years when he felt he had done little to earn it. From the beginning he had felt drawn to her, the little scavenger girl from Jakku, had stolen his heart a long time ago. He knew he would have fallen into the pit of darkness if she hadn't kept him trapped in the light. No one cared about him the way she did. Even the voices in his head couldn't convince him otherwise. Although they were often apart for long periods of time, she was constantly on his mind. He knew that if she did leave, she would take the best part of him with her. Rey grounded him in a way nothing else did. He couldn't be, he wouldn't be selfish with her. Where he was going, he couldn't ask her to follow.

"I'm telling you to go, Rey." Ben muttered, unwrapping his arms from around her.

"No." She argued. "I'm coming with you."

"Rey, I don't want you to come." Ben stated firmly.

"Don't do this, Ben." Rey couldn't hide the catch in her voice when she spoke. "You forget I can feel what you're feeling. You're pushing me away on purpose. I'm not a kid anymore. I can make my own decisions. You don't need to protect me. I can look after myself. You taught me how."

A glimmer of a smile lit up Ben's face for a minute, before it just as quickly disappeared when they both heard the sound of another ship approaching.

"Who's that?" Rey asked shakily.

Ben felt panic rising up inside him again. He had forgotten that some of the Jedi students were returning from an off-world mission today. He grabbed Rey's hand and dragged her toward the Falcon. But his reaction was far too late. The spacecraft Verity quickly landed in front of them, stopping them in their tracks. The ramp opened, revealing Voe, Hennix and Tai. Ben retreated, pulling an anxious Rey with him. He watched as his fellow students took in the shocking sight of the ravaged temple.

Voe's immediately ignited her saber and charged toward Ben, demanding answers. Ben pushed Rey gently behind him to shield her from Voe's wrath. He knew that Voe was a fiery and impulsive Jedi who tended to instigate fights. She had always been jealous of his greater abilities in using the Force. Ben tried to keep a cool head as he explained to Voe and the others what had happened the night before. He told them that Master Skywalker had tried to kill him in his sleep and believed that the Jedi was now dead. He knew it was a pointless exercise, especially in Voe's case, even before he had finished his rushed explanation. Due to her continued animosity toward him, Voe refused to believe him. Her dark eyes sparked with loathing as she rushed toward Ben, swinging her saber at him in a vain attempt to cut him down. Ben was forced to draw his own weapon to defend himself. He yelled at Rey to make a run for it.

The others finally became aware of Rey's presence. Ben and Voe continued to duel, while Tai and Hennix ignited their own sabers. Tai, always the diplomat, tried to calm the situation down, but neither Voe or Hennix were willing to listen to him. Hennix charged after Rey, his longer strides easily catching up to hers. Rey spun around, drawing her own weapon, and crouching down into a defensive stance. Hennix was caught off guard seeing her branding her own lightsaber. He didn't recognise her as a Jedi. He paused, assessing her warily, noting how confidently she held her weapon.

"Easy now, girl." He warned her. "I don't want to hurt you."

"Then back off." Rey yelled at him. "Let me and Ben pass. We just want to leave peacefully."

"I can't do that." Hennix replied coolly. "You're both surrounded. Give it up."

Ben glanced over his shoulder to check on Rey. He was horrified to see Hennix confronting Rey. He scowled, his resentment flaring as he used the Force to send Voe flying through the air. She landed heavily a few feet away, badly winded. He began to lope toward Rey, but Tai got in his way.

"JUST MOVE, TAI." He yelled impatiently.

"You need to calm down, Ben." Tai said carefully as he continued to block Ben's path.

Ben growled, summoning the force to blast Tai out of his way. But Tai anticipated his move and quickly extended his own hand. The two of them remained in a standoff against one another, the air vibrating madly between them. Ben gritted his teeth as he cast another desperate glance in Rey's direction to see how she was faring. His stomach twisted into knots when he saw Voe, having recovered her breath, running over to Hennix to back him up against Rey. Rey was now surrounded on both sides. Perspiration broke out on his forehead as he pushed harder against Tai with the force and finally sent the guy flying.

Ben immediately rushed to back up Rey. Voe's face was twisted into a fierce scowl as she attacked Rey. Rey quickly defended herself, easily parrying Voe's blade, while at the same time skilfully avoiding Hennix as he tried to cut her down on her other side. Rey swung around in a graceful arc and met Voe's next strike. The two girls began to duel furiously. It didn't take long for Rey to overpower Voe. She had learned from the best after all. Voe fell angrily onto her backside as Rey overwhelmed her, cussing all the way.

Ben had reached Hennix. He swiped at him with his saber, using the force to blast him backwards. Voe's expression was almost feral as she glared at him and Rey. "You won't escape." She screamed after them as Ben grabbed Rey's hand and they fled up the opened ramp of the Falcon.

A/N-thanks for reading. Please review.