Sorry for the long update. Life plus the fact that I'm working on my other fics for Harry Potter.

Oh a bright note. I kinda have this story figured out on how I want it to go. I know the destination. But the trip is gonna take awhile, and the events aren't 100% mapped out.

In other words, this could get pretty lengthy. A lot of my stories get despite how short I try to make them lol.

Also, this is a slow burn. For all pairings. So thought there will be some moments here and there, it isn't gonna be all too soon. All of them have a lot to work on with themselves as well as each other.

Anyways, I'm rambling. On with the fic.

Spot the Attack of the Clones reference!

Chapter 6: Deep Into The Mind

Finn found himself waking up much earlier than he had in the time he had spent in the Resistance. He was used to being up at the crack of dawn when he was with the First Order, so waking up early was nothing foreign to him. However he had quickly gotten accustomed to sleeping in if he so chose with the Resistance, and there had been a couple of times where he had slept until lunch.

He stretched and rubbed the back of his neck. He felt a small pain in it. 'Must have slept wrong' he thought as he looked to see if he had left anything on his bed from the night before.

He got up and walked over to the refresher. He quickly washed his face and then got dressed, passing by the window as he put on his shirt. He looked out and sought a glimpse of Rey sitting on the beach. He grabbed his jacket and took off out the door.

When he got to the beach, he slowed his pace down. Rey was sitting with her legs crossed, her hands in her lap, and her eyes closed. Finn took it as her meditating, something he had witnessed Kylo Ren do before. He didn't want to disturb her, so he turned and began to walk away.

"Don't go." he heard Rey say from.

behind him. He turned and seen that she had not changed position nor opened her eyes.

"I don't want to disturb you," he said, running a nervous hand over the back of his neck.

Rey let out a deep sigh. "Your presence is soothing." she breathed. "Join me."

Finn hesitated. He didn't know the first thing about meditation, but he sat down beside her anyways, in the same position she was sitting in.

"Try to relax and clear your mind," Rey said slowly. "Close your eyes, take in a breath, and simply exist."

Finn gazed at his friend, a bit confused at her words. How did one "simply exist"? Still, he listened to her words, took in a deep breath, and just sat there.

After a few moments, he couldn't help but giggle. "Whatever it is I'm supposed to be feeling, I'm not feeling it, Rey." he chuckled.

Rey sighed, trying not to lose concentration by laughing. "Just try not to think on purpose, Finn. Try to simply...feel. What do you feel?"

"I dont have the Force like you, Rey."

"You never know. And even if you don't, this will still work. Now be quiet and clear your mind."

Finn cleared his throat and stilled himself. He wasn't completely sure how to clear his mind, so he simply thought of nothing in particular. He thought about the birds chirping, the sound of his breathing, the water kissing the beach.

Soon, he felt as if he were floating. As if everything was coming at him at once, though it wasn't overwhelming. It was actually calming.

He heard laughter in his head. He recognized it as he, Poe, and Rey laughing at something that he couldn't remember. He could feel his happiness. He then heard the beeping of the machines that he identified as some of the things the droid docs used while he sat with Rose. He felt an instant relax as his mind drifted to her. He saw her laying in her bed as if she was right there in front of his face. His mind seemed to reach out to her.

But then, something changed.

He was no longer beside Rose. He was...well he didn't really know where he was. He couldn't really see much of anything, but he could feel everything. He felt warmth, he felt happiness, he felt unconditional love.

And then, he saw a pair of eyes. Brown eyes that he recognized as his but not really his looking down at possibly him. The eyes were smiling at him, as if nothing else in the world made those eyes happier than looking at him. He could hear a faint humming. It soothed him instantly, and at the same time, saddened him deeply. Who were these eyes? Why did he feel as if he could trust them? Why did they love him so much?

And then he felt pain. Not physical pain, but emotional. He heard a cry and felt as if he was being ripped out of the person that was just singing to him loving and protective arms. He heard screams of a woman saying no over and over again. He heard what sounded like a small child yelling dramatically after his mother. The warmth was gone, he was afraid. He-

"FINN!" he heard a yell from across the galaxy.

He opened his eyes and met with a troubled looking Rey gazing at him as if he were some kind of alien.

"Finn, are you alright?" she asked, frantically looking him over.

Finn shook his head. "What do you mean? I'm sitting right here like you told me."

"I know. But you were yelling at the top of your lungs. You sounded as if you were being hurt or something." stressed Rey. "You're sweaty, Finn."

Finn wiped his forehead and sure enough his palm was damp. He started to feel a bit clammy, somewhat dizzy. His stomach was doing nauseating flip flops.

"What did you see, Finn?" asked Rey in a slow voice. "Was it terrible?"

Finn tried to rack his brain but all he could remember was how he felt, not what he had witnessed.

And that song...

"I'm fine," he said, standing up and brushing the sand off of his pants. "Guess I may have tapped into some First Order training stuff that I tried to forget."

Rey's face softened. She often wondered what Finn's life was like with the First Order, but she never thought it was the right time to ask. She felt it wasn't her place to know sometimes, or that Finn would tell her when he was ready.

But what she had witnessed him doing troubled her. She had never seen him so emotional, so afraid.

Finn smiled at the worried look Rey was giving him. "Its alright, Rey, it was just a memory. Maybe I should practice this meditation thing better so good things will happen, eh?"

Rey nodded, feeling that Finn was keeping something from her. However, she didn't pry. Finn draped one of his long arms over Rey's shoulders and walked with her back towards the castle. Rey was telling Finn something that was meant to be amusing, but all Finn could think about was the screams.

Who were they coming from? Why did they sound so familiar to him?

Breakfast was a very quiet affair, which wasn't the least bit normal.

Finn, Poe, Rose, and Rey all sat down together at their usual table. Normally, before Rose had joined the group, they would be engaging in what they thought the day would bring them, or it would be Poe and Rey thinking up creative pranks to wake Finn up.

However, this morning it seemed like everyone's mind was wondering. Finn was still focused on the sights and sounds of what he encountered through meditation, Rey found herself thinking about if she was going to be bothered by Kylo Ben, Rose felt horribly awkward sitting on one side of Finn while Rey sat across from him, and Poe?

Poe was thinking about when it would be a good time to talk to Rose about Paige. If there ever was going to be a good time.

Each of them were so lost in their own thoughts that they didn't see Leia nor Connix approach their table.

"Commander Dameron, hello!" said Leia, after three times of trying to get his attention. Her voice made the entire group snap out of the trances that their thoughts had put them in and looked over at their General, who had a look of frustration on her face.

Poe quickly jumped up out of his seat and saluted Leia.

"General? Sorry I didn't see you, ma'am."

Leia grinned. "At ease, Poe. You and your friends just looked spaced. I was wondering what was going on."

She glanced over at Rey and gave her a warm smile. "I was wondering if you weren't busy later if you and I could have a word." she said kindly.

Rey took in a deep breath. "Am I in trouble?" she asked, instantly feeling silly that she had asked such a juvenile question.

"Oh no, not at all." said Leia dismissively "I just wanted to go over some things with you."

Rey nodded as Leia and Connix left to sit at another table. She looked over at Finn, who looked just as confused as she felt.

Then, she turned her attention to Rose.

"I'm sorry that we didn't properly meet yesterday,"she said cheerfully, extending out her hand. "I'm Rey."

Rose looked at Rey's hand but didn't take it. Both Finn and Poe have each other grimacing looks.

Finally, Rose stuck out her hand as well, shaking Rey's. Firmly.

"Rose Tico." she replied shortly.

Rey smiled, oblivious to the animosity that she was being thrown. "I have been wanting to meet you for so long. Finn has told me so much about you. Thanks for saving my dramatic little nerfherder."

Rose's eyes slanted slightly. "I've heard a lot about you too. And of course. I couldn't very well let the kamikaze kill himself, could I?"

Finn and Poe looked back and forth nervously at both girls. While they sensed Rose's disdain, it seemed as if Rey was either completely immune to it, or isn't letting it get to her.

"No. Of course not. Seriously, you have no idea how much what you did meant to me." continued Rey. "Finn was my first friend ever in my life. I would have been devastated if he would have died."

Rose softened a bit at her words. As much as she wanted to dislike the girl, she could only feel so much. A scavenger on Jakku with no friends and no love around her? How could Rey not be so close to Finn?

"I would have too," said Rose, finally cracking a smile. "Finn sort of grows on you, doesnt he?"

"Like an infection?" joked Poe, relieved to feel the tension slightly disappearing.

"I'll take that as a compliment." laughed Finn. "I am a pretty infectious person."

"And they say I'm the conceited one." grinned Poe.

Later that day, Rey knocked on the door of Leia's room. Leia called for her to come in.

Rey looked around the room and gasped. The ceiling and too half of the walls were painted as dark as space itself, with what seemed like stars twinkling against it. One of the walls had two suns on it looking like they were setting in the distance of some beautiful horizon.

"This was Ben's room when we would vacation here," said Leia, getting up from a old black but elegant desk. "He loved hearing his uncle speak of Tatooine and the twin suns so we had this mural painted for him from Luke's mind for his 10th birthday."

"Its beautiful." whispered Rey as she gazed at the mural. "I feel like I know it despite not ever being there."

Leia smiled. "That was the effect Luke was going for. Ben adored this room. He would hardly leave it after this was painted when we were here."

Rey sat on one of the benches in the room. She continued to gaze at the wall, trying to memorize every aspect of it for the next time the bond opened up.

"You're close to him, my son." said Leia. It wasn't a question.

Rey looked at her and felt her body tense. How did she know such things? She never imagined Leia being one with the Force, although logic would say that if Luke was then of course his twin sister would be as well.

"I'm not that close," said Rey.

"You're close enough, I can tell," said Leia as she sat down beside her. "I may not be as Force sensitive as the two of you, but I do sense him. I sense him even stronger when you are around."

"I'm sorry," said Rey, suddenly feeling ashamed.

"Sorry for what? There is a reason for everything the Force does, so you need not apologize for whatever is going on between you and my son."

"But there isn't anything," said Rey with a small grumble. "He's so intertwined with the dark side. He's stubborn, he's moody, he broods like some mad at the universe teenager, and he's just plain evil."

"Is he truly?" asked Leia, eyes softening.

Rey looked at the solemn look on Leia's face. She could have kicked herself for putting it there. However, she couldn't very well lie to her. At least no more than she already was.

"He is, but I do sense the light in him." sighed Rey. "It's there, and it shines weakly. But it does shine. He's just so connected to whatever Snoke fed him."

Leia gave a humph. "Snoke. Do you know he had been preying upon my poor boy since he was inside of me?"

Rey gasped at her words. Leia sadly nodded.

"I sensed him. Luke sensed him more than I did. He placed doubt in my son's mind before we could breathe the same air. He was always with my son like a dark cloud that would shroud him. Ben used to be so afraid, but I hardly knew what to tell him besides it would be okay. Han, poor Han had less of a clue than I did with trying to handle the situation. He would try to keep Ben's mind on other things like flying. Ben, though very much loved being taught things by his father, especially flying, really didn't take Han as much of a father figure. When whatever lesson was done, he would retreat to his room or a quiet corner and stick his nose in a book. Ben never liked reading literature off some datapad. He loved turning the pages of a book, and even kept a journal."

Rey felt the pull of the Force. She knew that Kylo Ren was there, however, she couldnt let on to Leia that he was. And judging on the emotions that she. Ould feel feeding off of Kylo, she could tell the last thing he wanted was for his mother to know anything.

"As he grew older, however, the voice of Snoke grew even louder and I grew scared for him." continued Leia. "I may have the Force in my veins, but I knew nothing of how to utilize it, especially not to help my son. Plus, my mind was on politics, something that I fully regret. My mind should have been more on him. I shouldn't have sent him off with Luke. I shouldn't have-"

Leia let out a deep sob, covering her mouth with one of her hands. Rey immediately took her other hand into both of hers.

"Do not blame yourself," comforted Rey. "From what I've witnessed, Snoke was an extremely powerful being that took advantage of your son's emotions, especially the night Luke...almost did what he did. Snoke is gone now. Take peace in the fact that it was your own son that killed him."

Leia nodded. She squeezed Rey's hands with her other and managed a smile.

"Do you think he is truly lost to me?" asked Leia.

Rey looked up and seen Ben staring back at her for about four seconds. He turned his head and looked the other way, as I'd off into the distance.

"No," said Rey hopefully. "I don't think he is."

A moment later, Rey left the room. She walked slowly towards Padme's room still feeling the dark knight's presence.

When she got into her room, she shut the door. She didn't dare turn around.

"How much did you hear? Or more so, how much did you tune into?" she asked.

A long pause. "Enough." he said.

"Your mother weeps for you, Ben. She weeps for the past mistakes that she has wronged you with. She only wants her son back."

"Was I ever her son? Seemed like I was mostly a burden to her most of the time."

"And the other times?"

Ben sighed. He couldn't let her in, he just couldn't. To talk about his mother would lead them down a path that he was not yet ready to journey down, especially not with her.

"I saw your wall," said Rey softly.

Ben looked up as Rey turned towards him.

"Would you like to see it again?"