"Rough night?"

Rey awakens startled and breathless, struggling to make sense of her location. Looking across the room, it starts to clear. Ziziri sits on her cot cleaning her customized vibroblade to a shine. The roommate normally keeps to herself but a quick glance over at Rey proves otherwise.

"Yeah," Rey answers between heavy breaths. "Something like that."

A disappointment washes over Rey as she realizes the dream has ended and reality sets in. Her lips tingle and she places her fingers over them in shock. It's almost as if they remember the kiss. As if the kiss were real.

Not much for talking, Ziziri cleans her sword in silence for a moment. "You were tossing and turning all night."

A blush starts to color Rey's cheeks. "I'm sorry if I bothered you at all."

"You didn't." Ziziri says devoid of emotion. "Just making an observation."

Already missing Ben, she searches within herself for their bond. Closing her eyes, she reaches through and finds him to be awake and uncharacteristically jovial.

Good morning, Ben greets full of warmth and if Rey stretches her imagination, she can pretend that he's lying next to her in the bunk.

Is it, though? She asks softly. Morosely. Their circumstances still weigh heavy on Rey's mind.

His pleasant mood shifts to one of concern. What's wrong?

A defeated sigh. I hate this.

His heart rate spikes. Rey…

No, no. I mean… She pauses to exhale. I wish the island was real and this reality was the dream.

Their connection soothes into a relaxed state as Ben calms down and affectionately presses deeper. I'd live there if I could.

Rey beams and they settle into a comfortable silence, just happy to have each other for company.

Mission jumps out of her top bunk and swiftly lands on her blue feet. "Ladies, it's been a blast but today is a new day and it's calling my name."

She and Ziziri exchange a friendly shove before Mission saunters to the door. Mission never just walks. She glides or sways or sashays but she never walks. Part of growing up as a thief from Taris meant being light-footed and nimble - things Mission has mastered with elegance. Her graceful nature can only be rivaled by one other within the Resistance, and he races inside the bunker upon Mission's departure.

"I'm looking for Rey," he asks her urgently, hands on the young Twi'lek's shoulders. "Is she here?"

"It's your lucky day," Mission says, swinging her thumb over her shoulder. "Sleepy-head over here has yet to leave her bunk."

Rey regards Ben one last time through their connection before pulling back and facing a very distraught Poe.

"Good morning," he greets quickly. "Get dressed and quickly. General Leia has a mission for us but we have to hurry. Time is of the essence."

As far as Ren is concerned, there is no better way to wake up than to have Rey searching for him through their connection. Never has he been able to sense her so clearly. It was almost as if he could touch her, like she was lying right beside him in the cot and if he reached over, he could stroke her cheek.

What he didn't anticipate was that her departure would feel so hollow. He's gone his entire existence up until this moment without her and yet when she pulled away to attend to that pilot, a piece of him ripped away and left with her. He can still feel her, sure, but it's muted and dull. Everything feels so tedious without her, suddenly.

But he knows she'll come see him today. He has that much to look forward to.

So when the dumb golden droid brings him food, he accepts it graciously. He eats every morsel contently and even bothers to converse with the droid for a line or two before threatening him to leave. An improvement on his part. And because he wants to be presentable, he decides to wait anxiously by catching up on his training exercises. It's been a solid week or two since he last did them and he's long overdue. He does jumping jacks, crunches, and push-ups until he works up a solid sweat. What he would give for Rey to walk in on him like this. He can just imagine her eyes traveling down his body and it sends a shiver up his spine. It kills him to have to give her this sense of privacy through their connection.

He'd moved on to one-arm push-ups when he senses her again. Something's wrong. The Force bond they share quakes with nerves. And if Ren pauses and regards his surroundings, he'd notice that the feeling surrounds him throughout the entire base. Why hadn't he noticed it earlier? He was so consumed with anticipation to see her that it clouded his senses for too long. A mistake that could prove costly in the future. He'll have to be more mindful of that.

She approaches his cell but she's not alone. The pilot is with her and - he seizes - the General. On alert, Ren lifts himself up off of the floor just as the durasteel doors hiss open and allow Rey entrance to his iron cell.

Don't panic, she reassures through their connection, which is in complete contradiction to the cold hard face she wears.

She waves her stiff hand towards the chair. "Sit down, Kylo."

Ren apprehensively takes a seat. Who is this and where is his Rey?

What's going on? He silently asks, but Rey's demeanor doesn't change. He can sense the panic raging inside her and it's the only thing that's keeping him in check.

"The coordinates to Luke Skywalker. We know you have them and the Resistance has been waiting for your cooperation but our patience wears thin. Tell us the coordinates. Now."

Lie. One word through the connection is all Ren needed to be able to take his first solid breath since he sensed her approach.

"And if I don't?"

A hint of amusement courses through their connection. It breathes new life into Ren.

"I shall remind you, Kylo Ren, that you promised to tell me anything I wanted to know. Are you going back on your word?"

A hint of a smirk crosses his lips. "Never."

She remains as cold as ice, but her lips twitch upward for a mere second. "Good. Because if you don't cooperate with us, then we shall have no choice but to try you for the murder of Han Solo."

You're in serious danger. She says. I'm going to get you out of here. Whatever you do, do not tell me the coordinates. They're listening.

He watches her carefully. "I can't give you the coordinates yet. It's the only thing keeping me alive."

"We don't need you, Kylo Ren. We can complete the map without you. Admiral Kolsho will see to that."

A tilt of his head. Admiral Kolsho?

Their connection floods in sorrow. General Leia has been put on temporary leave until they figure out what to do with you. Admiral Kolsho has unofficially taken over her post.

This is bad. Kolsho. How does he know that name? It sounds like a Selkath name. A Selkath in the Resistance? Aren't Selkaths supposed to be impartial? Rey's right. He is in danger.

A lot has happened while we were on the island, she says and it hits Ren in the pit of his stomach.

"Your life rests solely in your hands." She continues. "Cooperate with us and you'll live. Failure will result in the trial and the prosecution is after the death penalty."

He suddenly feels very trapped. What do you need me to do?

Pleased, Rey soothes him through their connection. Her hard exterior remains intact but her eyes glance down at her side briefly. Ren sees it immediately. The lightsaber. She can't possibly be serious, can she?

We don't have much time. We need to get to the Falcon.

Ren stares into her cold eyes for a moment and takes a deep breath before lifting out of his seat and striding about the room nonchalantly.

"It seems I don't have much of a choice," He says, staring deep into her eyes. She swallows hard and her eyes betray her for a single moment. The compassion and worry she has for him seeps out but a little. It gives him the confidence to do what he needs to do. "Or do I?"

Within the blink of an eye, Ren swings his arm out, pulling at the lightsaber with the Force and it reluctantly swings into his hand. Rey, seemingly caught off guard, gasps in fright but Ren is quick to the trigger. With his other hand he reaches out and paralyzes her in place. A sense of fright does wash over Rey, but Ren is quick to send her a sense of calm through their bond.

Igniting the lightsaber, he grabs her and pulls her back towards his chest and places the blue shaft of the saber mere inches across her neck.

This is the plan? He asks full of humor, hoping that will ease the tension he still feels within her.

Just be sure that saber doesn't actually touch my throat, please.

Ren smirks. It would be really hard to kiss your neck if I sliced it, don't you think?

The comment flusters Rey. Exactly the reaction he wanted. That and the rosy color that begins spreading across her cheeks.

"Open the cell or she dies!" Ren screams, knowing full well he can be heard.

A beat goes by and the doors stay closed.

Was this a part of your plan? He asks suddenly full of nerves.

"C'mon Poe…" Rey breathes so quietly he almost didn't hear it.

Suddenly the doors slide open and Ren can instantly breathe a little easier. But only a little. He drags Rey out, saber still in a threatening position near her throat. They have to play the part right if they're going to make it out of here convincingly.

"Which way do I go now?" He whispers under his breath.

Rey pretends to struggle under his grasp, but minimally - her saber is merely inches away - but she starts to struggle to their left. "If you're headed for the hangar bay, you'll never make it out of here alive," she dramatically threatens.

Left it is. They scramble down the corridor and around the corner. Officers and soldiers race for them but all it takes is a quick swipe of the Force before they are thrown out of their path. Rey continues to struggle and scream bloody murder but guides him throughout the compound until they arrive safely outside at the hangar bay. Blaster shots start to ring out and Ren uses her saber to deflect their attack.

"You didn't happen to bring my saber with you, did you?"

Rey's lips twitch upward. "What do you take me for? It's repaired and on board the Falcon."

"Well then," he smirks, "what are we waiting for?"

Still playing the part, Ren drags Rey the few yards it takes for him to reach the ship. As soon as the ramp lifts to a close, he switches the saber off, but doesn't release her from his grasp right away. Instead, he takes the opportunity to smell her hair and enjoy the pressure of her body against his chest.

"Ben…" She breathes but has a hard time focusing on the task at hand. Not when he's so close and his arm is wrapped around her chest and his nose brushes against her jawline. "Ben, we have to take off."

A blast against the ship interrupts their concentration and they fall backwards into the wall, with Ren still clasping Rey against him.

"What the hell was that?" He exclaims.

"They're firing at us?!" Rey is appalled. Together they race through the Falcon's corridors until they reach the cockpit where Chewbacca already claims the co-pilot seat. She quickly jumps into the pilot chair and begins flipping switches and pressing buttons. "Hold on, everyone. This is not going to be a smooth take-off." Chewbacca roars in agreement.

Ren falls to a stop as soon as he clamps eyes on the Wookiee. A great and terrible burn courses throughout his stomach originating from his newly healed side. It's not real, Kylo knows, but the memory is fresh in his mind. It was Chewbacca who blasted him in that oscillator. How does he just sit there knowing the man responsible for murdering his best friend stands a few feet away? Swallowing his anxiety, he manages to take a seat behind Rey.

The round BB unit rolls into the room and begins chiming off a seconds worth of chatter just as Rey pulls the Falcon off the ground and zooms for the sky. The droid is airborne in milliseconds and bouncing off the walls, wailing.

"Sorry!" Rey cries out. It doesn't take much longer before she flies them out of attack range and they're zooming off into space. "Chewie, we need to get out of this system and quick."

Chewie moans a question. Ren turns to Rey. "Yeah, where are we going?"

She twists around in her seat and when their eyes meet, a jolt jumpstarts his heart and courses through Ren's body. This girl doesn't know the effect she has on him.

"We need to get to Luke before Kolsho does," she explains softly. "You're the only one who knows where he is."

Hesitation seizes Ren in place and Rey now knows exactly why.

"I know you're hesitant," she says, laying a tranquil hand on his shoulder. "You know I wouldn't ask this of you if it weren't important."

She's wrong though. It's all Kylo's ever wanted in the first place. It's why he broke away from the First Order and scouted for BB-8 himself. All he ever wanted was to locate the map and find Skywalker himself so he can pay for all the damage he's caused. The thing is, he never wanted to drag her into his mess. And what a mess it truly is.

Her hand massages his shoulder in a vain attempt at comfort. His heart is at war with his brain. How can Kylo confront Skywalker with her in tow?

"I can't do this." He lets her hand fall as he rushes out of the cockpit in shame.

Rey watches as he disappears down the corridor and takes a shard of her heart with him. Chewbacca moans a request.

"We hide," she replies without looking at the Wookiee, "until Ben is ready. Take us through hyperspace, then pick a neutral planet for us to hide on for a bit."

The Wookiee howls his concern.

"Don't worry. I can get the coordinates out of him. You'll see. In the meantime, we can't risk being captured by the Republic nor the First Order."

Not fully convinced, Chewbacca moans an apprehensive ok.

Rey gives his furry cheek a quick peck. "Thank you, my friend." She rushes through the corridors of the freighter until she finds Ren in the crew quarters. Seeing him standing there causes a commotion deep within her. Rey is the equivalent of a dying star; on the outside, everything appears brighter than normal but inside she is a raging fury of nuclear fusion on the brink of a supernova explosion.

With his back to her, Rey can't help but feel a sense of déjà vu. His demeanor is reminiscent of the scared child she encountered in his dream last night. Not much has changed except the scared child grew into a scared, scarred man.

"I'm sorry," he whispers without even turning around. "I hate disappointing you."

Concerned, Rey steps closer and wraps her arms around him and nuzzles into his back. "I'm not disappointed. I understand."

In equal measure, his heart swells in love with her and it drops guiltily to his stomach. "Rey… " he whines.

"You don't have to say anything right now, Ben. It's ok. I'm here."

His eyes squeeze shut, pained by his guilty conscience. "You've got to stop doing that."

She lifts off of him, concerned. "Stop doing what?"

Ren's head droops even further down to the floor. "You keep calling me 'Ben.'"

Her arms glide around his body as she twists to face him. Her eyes stare up at him hard. "That's your name."

"Is it, though?"

Her stare never falters. "Yes."

"Am I not also Kylo Ren?"

Suddenly it dawns on her and her face softens in understanding. Rey's hands slide up the length of his body, taking the opportunity to examine the curve of his muscles and the firmness of his chest. They climb until her palms nestle perfectly into his angled jaw while her thumbs stroke lazy circles on his marred cheeks. "Not to me."

Astonishment paralyzes Ren in place for a brief moment. Rey's eyes could not have been more resiliently green and in them she placed her belief in him. Deep within his heart, his identity crisis continued to wage a hellish war, but in this moment his heart knew only one thing for certain; he belonged to her, body and soul, and there was no room left for anything else.

Ren's lips crash into hers, hot and feral, sending them back, back, back until they bang into a wall. She feels incredible in real life. It hardly compares to the kiss they had on the island. Already enraptured by her soft lips, his hands pull at her waist until they are crushed together and still it doesn't seem close enough. Ren licks the seam of her lips and delves in deep when they part. She even tastes better than in the dream.

Their connection thrums with such close proximity and the vibration ripples throughout their bodies heightening every sense within them to the max. The world around them crackles to life as the Force seems to awaken from a deep sleep and it roars to life swirling the darkness and the light until neither Rey nor Ren can tell the difference anymore. It spins around them with tornadic speeds and presses them closer and closer together until there's no possibility of separation.

Wrapping an arm around his neck, Rey rises to her tiptoes and presses deeper into the kiss. The other hand slides around his neck until her fingers are threaded through his thick tendrils of hair pulling him closer still. The frenetic nuclear fusion within her threatens an impending explosion and she desperately craves it. She wants more. She needs more.

Her basest thoughts race through the bond to Ren who finds himself drunk on lust and incapable of restraint. There is nothing else except for her. Nothing in the world. Time stands still as logic is replaced with sensation. There is no thinking, only feeling. There is no pain, only pleasure.

Breaking for air, he hovers in her atmosphere letting her hot breath wisp across his face intimately. Unable to control his desire, he traces a trail of soft kisses across her jaw and Rey closes her eyes to soak in his tenderness. "I've wanted you like this since I first met you," he whispers into her ear before nipping at her earlobe. The confession makes her moan and it's easily the most wonderful sound Ren has ever heard. He plots to find a way to make her make that noise again.

He tries kissing the sensitive skin behind her earlobe and she shudders in response. He tries sucking his way down her neck and she audibly sighs. His hands roam farther south until they cup her taut ass, pressing her even harder against him and it makes her gasp. Pressure builds within him to an uncontrollable state and he groans against the wonderful spot where her neck meets her shoulder. iShe feels so unbelievably good/i.

Her high-collared vest has to go. Now. He needs to feel her skin. Ren somehow manages to lift himself off of her just enough to push the thick garment off her shoulders to fall unceremoniously to the ground.

Ren raises a hand to the side of her head, throwing Rey off guard, but she's startled when her hairbands begin to snap setting her russet-colored locks free. The innocent act, much more tame than any that had preceded it, sends Rey's heart racing for no one has ever seen her with her hair down. No one. Somehow this one little act is just as intimate to Rey as letting him see her naked.

Her insecurity shakes through their connection and captures Ren's full attention. Not fully realizing the impact of his action, he looks at her, really looks at her, and for the first time he sees the scared little girl who had been abandoned on Jakku. Suddenly, the stakes are higher than they were just a moment ago. He combs his fingers tenderly through her hair and in return she melts thoroughly into him. Watching her in a state of pure bliss turns him on so completely that he realizes he has long crossed a line past a point of no return. There is no stopping him now. He has to have her or he'll die for sure.

Gathering her hair into a fist, he gently pulls her head to the side allowing for better access to her tantalizing neck which has been begging to be kissed and sucked and bitten. She comes alive when he does, unable to suppress the noises that escape her throat. "Ben," she sighs breathlessly into his ear.

An electric bolt shoots from his heart and shocks his body down to his groin. "Say it again," he growls against the base of her throat.

Enthralled, Rey closes her eyes and rocks her head back allowing all her other senses to take over. "Ben."

Ren rams his hips into her sending an electrical wave rippling throughout her body causing her to moan. Embracing the point of no return, she rolls her hips back into his heat. The virulent star within her pulsating, ready to rupture.

"Again."

Gathering fists full of his dark shirt, she takes a deep breath before breathing out, "Ben."

He jolts his hips into her and she moans even louder than before, rolling her hips even harder into his heat. The dying star burning white hot.

Panting into the crook of her neck, Ren uses his free hand to grab her thigh and coil her leg around his side. He howls. "Again!"

On the brink of unraveling completely, Rey cries out, "Ben!" They both groan as he thrusts her against the wall.

It isn't enough. It's never enough but for sure this is not enough for Ren. Only one thought rattles his brain and it's his need for skin. Her skin. What would her skin feel like against his? She feels pretty damn good right now, but just how much better would she feel if she was naked and pressed against his bare chest? Ren pulls the strap of her sand-colored tank top down her shoulder as he nibbles on her. If it was off of her completely he'd have better access. More soft skin to kiss. More to taste.

Ren practically rips the utility belt off of her with his free hand and lets his fingers trail down her stomach until they reach the hem of her shirt. He briefly waits for a reaction but all he gets is punch-drunk pleasure through their connection, so he buries his fingers under her shirt in search of skin.

What he finds comes at a shock to Ren. He lifts his head off of her shoulder as his fingers explore her body. Expecting a flat plain before reaching the twin peaks on her chest, instead he feels her stomach cave slightly inward before curving back up to her ribcage where he can easily count every bone.

Lips swollen and panting heavily, Ren locks eyes with his scavenger girl. He shouldn't be taken aback by this discovery, but he can't help it. Her reality is one he can never truly comprehend and it breaks his heart to try to understand it. Ren always insisted that his life was rough but it was nothing compared to hers. Miniscule. Incomparable. It makes him feel so small.

Her eyes are clouded in the haze of insecurity and he can feel it writhing through their connection. If only Ren had the ability to heal this obvious scar within her. She has no need to feel insecure about her body for it's a testament to her strength and endurance. Rey is the ultimate survivor. If she can survive on her own on that third-world planet, Rey can survive anything. She can survive him.

He's not so sure he can say the same.

"Rey," he moans and presses his forehead into hers, unable to be so distant from her.

Ren's deep dark eyes remind her of black holes, entities so small with an insane depth of gravity that crossing their event horizon sucks you in with no possibility of escape. Staring into him, she finds herself falling helplessly.

"I want you, Rey," he rasps gasping for air. "I want you in every way I can get you. And now that I have you, I realize I don't deserve you."

Her eyes furrow. "What are you doing?"

"You're surrounded by light and I'm slathered in the dark. I've done horrible, reprehensible things and I'll never be good enough for you."

He feels the shift in their Force bond. Her growing anxiety shakes their connection. "Why are you doing this?"

Those black holes of his fill with a sad affection, "But I love the way you look at me and I love the way you believe in me. So if you ask me one more time for the coordinates to Skywalker, I'll give them to you willingly but first let me have this." His lips brush hers. "Let me have you before you come to your senses. Let me taste what the light feels like."

He bends down and kisses her so passionately she can't help but weep. "Stop!" Rey cries out as she takes a fist full of his black tank in each palm. "Why are you ruining this?"

"That's what I do. I ruin things. I ruin beautiful things."

"It doesn't have to be this way," she says frantically. "Ben! It doesn't have to be this way!"

Ren presses his lips to hers yet again, squelching the worry within her with his sweet kiss. Helplessly, she falls into a stupor and glides her hands up and down his neck, sending shivers down Ren's spine. He releases her when her nerves have settled, leaning his forehead against hers once again. "Rey of light," he rasps amorously, eyes full of internal turmoil, "my desert rose, shall we go to bed?"

Falling deep into his exorbitant gravity, she nods slowly. "Make love to me, Ben Solo."