"You really did come back," Ben whispers against her hair. They're one day into their trip back to the Resistance base, one day away from facing down whatever is going to happen there. She's still not sure this is the best thing for them, and sometimes contemplates just pointing the shuttle to wherever the Force will take them.

"Of course I did." She's hot and sweaty in his arms, still breathing hard from their latest bout of lovemaking. He's…vigorous to say the least. Now that that part of him has been awakened, he's nearly insatiable.

And creative.

This last time he'd had her on all fours on the bed and had taken her from behind. She'd come across some of the less savory people on Jakku doing it that way in the back alleys and she'd always found it a little off-putting. But then he'd hauled her up against him, and when he'd entered her from behind, he was so deep inside her that she felt her insides almost immediately clench.

He'd come with his teeth in the skin of her shoulder and his finger working her clit until she screamed with her orgasm.

They'd collapsed in a heap after, both breathing hard.

"Why would you think I wouldn't come back?" she asks, reaching up a hand to smooth his hair back from his sweat-slicked face.

He shakes his head. "No one comes back." His face hardens a little at that, and she's reminded of the parents that left him with Luke, of the uncle that tried to kill him in his sleep.

She leans forward and presses a soft kiss to his cheek. "I will always come back."

"You promise?" His voice is so small when he asks the words and for a moment she can't help but think about that small boy being sent away.

"Of course," she responds with.

They fall asleep soon after that, wrapped up in each other's arms.

They arrive in the quiet of night. He'd think Rey planned it if she didn't note the time with some surprise as they came in for a landing. The ship is a familiar one and so he hopes that their arrival will go unnoticed.

He doesn't realize how hard he's gripping the arms of the chair he's sitting in until Rey puts her hand over his. She's smiling at him, always the sun to his darkness. He feels that light wind its way through his body, wrap around his heart, and he takes a deep breath.

"Nervous?" she asks.

"These are my mother's people," he says, simply.

"They are. But they're also my people." He can see her hesitate before speaking again. "They're yours, too."

"We'll see." In all honesty, he expects to be taken prisoner. They may not execute him. He's not sure that's the Resistance's way, after all. But it's easy to imagine them letting him rot in some out of the way cell. Or banishing him to an entirely inhospitable world.

She squeezes his hand. "It will be fine. I promise." She lets go of his hand and returns to guiding the ship in for a landing. He's too terrified to be of much good at that moment, and he's pretty sure if the controls were in their hand, he'd exile them at Ahch-to, where he could make love to her and they could drink disgusting blue milk until the day they die.

And he has no doubt that whatever day that is, it will come together. Back to back, fighting an enemy together or side by side, as their life fades away into the Force.

It has to be that way.

He cannot live without her.

When the ship touches down, he feels the blood drain out of his face. He doesn't even have a mask to hide behind. Not the mask of Kylo Ren. His face feels strangely frozen as he stands, and his knees feel a bit wobbly.

But there's Rey, and she reaches out a hand and pulls him next to her. "We're in this together, Ben."

He nods, but he can't quite get anything else out.

"Are you ready?"

He lets out a small huff of laughter, and cringes at the darkness to the sound. "No. But let's get this over with."

"That's the spirit!" Rey says and even she knows that the light tone to her voice is forced. Together, they turn to the ramp and Rey hits the button to lower it. He feels his heart drop into his stomach as it lowers.

He's brave, Rey realizes. Ben is squeezing her hand so hard as they walk down the ramp that she's almost lost feeling in them. But still, he goes with her. A tall, dark shadow dressed in a shirt that still has the whole in it from where she'd run him through, pants that are just a little bit too short for his long legs. She's promised him better fitting clothes eventually. But for now it'll do.

The pants, at least, are brown, so he doesn't look as much the spectre of Kylo Ren as he would otherwise.

Almost as soon as they hit the ground and the ramp closes up behind them, Rose steps out of the darkness.

"Rose," Rey says, releasing the breath she didn't realize she'd sucked in when they hit the ground.

"Hi!" she says, her voice just a little too bright. Her eyes widen as they fall on Ben, and her mouth hangs a little open. "Wow, you really did bring him back," Rose whispers.

"Rose," Rey says, and the other woman snaps out of it.

"Right, sorry. Hi, I'm Rose," she says, and she holds out her hand.

To Ben Solo.

To Kylo Ren.

And in that moment, Rey realizes how much she loves Rose. She's a good person, willing to forgive, willing to understand. She's the kind of person that she knows they can put their trust in and she will never, ever betray them.

Rey goes up on her tiptoes and whispers in Ben's ear. "Shake her hand, Ben."

"Right," he says and she can see a bit of color high up on his cheeks. "Of course." And then he reaches out one hand to grasp Rose's for just a moment, dropping it like it's a hot potato. "I'm Ben."

"I know," Rose says. And then she seems to come out of her stupor. "We've had quarters made up for you…"

"I'll stay with Rey," he says and Rey feels herself blush.

"So it is like that then, is it?" Rose says, and then nods. There's no recrimination there, no horror. "Well, then I'm sure Rey can show you to her quarters."

"Right," Rey says. "Absolutely." She should be embarrassed, but for some reason she's just not. Ben is clinging to her, his hand wrapped around hers. They're a little clammy, but she knows once they get behind closed doors, he'll be able to relax.

"Good," Rose says. She's still watching Ben with a strange, calculating look on her face. It's not a look that makes Rey feel worried. But there's something more to it than meets the eye. Rose finally nods. "I'll leave you to it, then." She starts to walk away before she turns back. "Ben?"

He doesn't answer for a second and then finally blinks, like he's coming out of some sort of trance. "Yes?"

"Welcome to the Resistance." And then Rose is gone.

"That went…" Rey starts to say.

"Better than expected?" Ben finishes for her.

She turns to him and goes up on her toes to press a soft kiss to his lips. "Far better."

"It won't tomorrow when we face everyone else." The words are grim, and she knows there will he challenges ahead.

"Probably," she says, gripping his hand and weaving their fingers together. "But we'll face that then. Together."

He nods. "Together." They share a soft smile. That's more important than anything, Rey realizes. They're here. They're together. Whatever happens, whatever threats come their way, they have each other. "Show me the way to our quarters then, oh great Jedi."

And she laughs, tugging him after her. It's one more night, she realizes. One more night where it's just them. They can stay wrapped up in each other and worry about whatever will happen tomorrow when the light rises and the Resistance finds out their newest member has arrived.