Tomorrow ended up being the most difficult days of his life. He stole glances at her, and only once did she notice.

Throughout his sentencing, he felt numb. How much he had changed! He could scarcely recognize himself. Was he the same person who had slain Han Solo?

Probably not.

In fact, thinking about it now, he didn't think he'd be able to do it.

And that gave him pause.

"You are hereby sentenced to ten years in prison…you will be transported to the planet…" the commissioner was saying.

Ten years…

Ben swallowed. "That seems a long time, sir."

"Does it? Well, that is the decision made by the council. And in my estimation," he leaned over his pulpit toward Ben. "Not nearly long enough."

He saw Leia hang her head.

…and he looked for Rey.

She was gone.

Probably for the best. He didn't want to be distracted by something like want.

Ben was led out of the chamber to his cell. He was almost relieved to hear the door locked behind him.

Jakku didn't look any different when she arrived. Not that she was expecting it to, but still. She was different. Maybe she thought that it would be, too.

Rey spent the next month trying to readjust to her old life.

But she couldn't. It was untenable…her old life was constructed of day to day activities, with hope threaded through them.

Hope that her parents would be coming back.

That was no longer part of her life…she knew that they were dead. And though she was sorry, she couldn't be consumed by it. Her life was different now. It had to be.

Rey went to the watering hole alone, filling her rations, just as she had done so many times before. She looked to the sky and wiped her brow.

She didn't want to stay here, but she had no idea where to go.

It had been a month, and Rey went out for the first time since she had returned.

There was a place some of the locals went to…a place to forget, mostly, that they lived on Jakku.

And Rey wanted to forget so very much.

She was sitting at a booth by herself, drinking firewater. She didn't care for it much, but there it was.

Rey swirled the clear liquid with red specks around and downed it.

What was she doing here, anyway? Jakku held nothing for her. It was a mistake, all of it.

But if she was being honest, she didn't know where else to go. The galaxy was …unknown to her. She felt isolated because she had fallen in love with a villain. There was no panacea for that. Her love was both her opiate and her poison. She saw that now.

Rey looked around, pained. She had never been fussed about solitude until now.

She thought it was mostly because she felt as though it was a forced isolation. She leaned back into the booth and drank.

No one was looking at her.

Except one person.

She shifted, her eyes darting away, then back again. He was still looking at her.

She swallowed dropped her gaze, and shifted.

And she saw the someone approach her table. Rey swallowed and stiffened. She hoped that it didn't show on her face.

"You look lost," said the stranger.

"I'm not," she replied.

"Maybe you'd like to be."

Rey swallowed. "What do you mean?"

"Mind if I sit?"

"That depends."

"On?"

She didn't know. "Sit over there…" she pointed to the next table, but it was close enough to have a conversation.

He laughed, but sat where she indicated. "Well. You need a place to go, I think."

"I have a place to go."

"A new place, then."

Rey's gaze fell. "What are you referring to?"

"A place…a small planet. No one who knows about it leaves, it's that beautiful."

Her breath hitched a moment. She could not deny her interest. "Where?"

"Lah'mu."

"Lah'mu," Rey repeated. She had heard of it…black sand beaches…mountains…"Why are you telling me this?"

"Call it a favor," and he slid a card to her, and stood.

Rey looked down at the card, then back up. He was gone. Lah'mu was not exactly remote, but it would probably be better than Jakku.

Anything would be better than Jakku, really.

What did she have here? Bad memories. Longing. Heat and drought and hunger.

None of these things were sustainable any longer, because the reason she had stayed here no longer existed. Her parents were dead.

She could leave and not look back.

This, she thought, was attractive. More than she would have guessed.

Rey looked out of the dark window by her booth. No more desert heat. No more fighting for resources…

She looked at the card again.

Ship leaves for Lah'mu in one week. Everything is paid for. You will have accommodations upon arrival.

And there were instructions about where to be for boarding the ship.

She swallowed. And she knew she'd be on that ship.

The bags were packed. They were sparse, both in number and in content. She wasn't sure what she would need, the climate was different…Lah'mu couldn't be more opposite from Jakku. So…she had packed a few things. Trinkets from her past. A few from her more recent past.

And she went to the shipyard. There was a man there, dressed in green. Rey approached him with a backpack swung on her shoulder and carrying another. She nodded to him.

"You running?"

"No," her back was up.

"Hiding?"

Rey narrowed her eyes. "No."

He smiled…his face was lined. "Get on."

She followed him up the ramp to the ship. It was small. Fairly clean. She sat in the back and her forehead fell to the window. She was tired. She wanted to forget about everything…

And she had done a fair job so far.

The engine revved, and before she knew it, they were airborne. She felt light speed kick the ship…

Rey closed her eyes. They'd be at Lah'mu soon.

And when she opened them, they were entering the atmosphere. She sat up. Her pilot hadn't said a word to her…

Probably for the best. She had no desire to talk small.

They landed, and she stood. "Thank you," she said as he approached to let her out.

He nodded. "There's a guide, just there," he jerked his head, indicating outside. "Saw him as we landed."

"Good," she looked at the window. "Well. Thanks again," and she began to disembark as he lowered the hatch.

"Hope you find what you're looking for," he called after her.

Rey turned to look…

The hatch was shut. She turned.

"My name is Cyne. You're Rey?"

She nodded.

"I'll be bringing you to your house."

"My house."

Cyne nodded. "Not far," and he began to walk.

They were in a landing field…Rey could see the sea not far from where they were. They sky was a cool amaranthine…and the air reflected that same chill. She looked around. There were mountains jetting all around…covered in green leaves and black rock. None were terribly high; she had seen much more impressive peaks…maybe even in the dunes on Jakku.

There were fields of tall yellow wheat, or something, at the base of the dwarfed mountains. These were mostly to her right.

The sea bellowed on her left.

And she craned her neck to see the black sand.

"It'll be dark soon," Cyne began. "But you'll be able to explore tomorrow."

She smiled and dropped her gaze. She had a house…

And for the first time it occurred to her that she was here by design. She had thought that perhaps they were trying to get a more robust population…but no. Someone had arranged her being here.

…and her heart whispered his name for the first time since she left him…

"Ben," she whispered, looking to the sea…

That was seven years ago.

All of it had happened seven or more years ago.

Rey had learned to really love Lah'mu. It was more of a home than anyplace she had ever been.

She had a routine. She'd get up and tend her garden. Head to the market. Clean the house.

She did love her house.

It was smallish, like photos of cottages she had seen. Local stone, which was black, like the sandy shores. It had four rooms below, two above. She had a lush garden. And it was a short walk to the beach. Bit longer to the forest at the mountain's base.

The local people lived mostly around the mountains. They were traders.

And there were books, something Rey had previously little exposure to. A library, and two booksellers. Rey mostly went to the library.

She had not grown hard over the years. She was still fully young. But she was wise. She worked as a smith, but mostly just for food. Everything else Cyne told her was paid for. If she needed clothing, which she did when she first moved there, there were some waiting for her in the morning.

She provided herself with food and extraneous things, of which she had very little.

She saw Cyne twice a week, and only once, right after she moved in, did she ask who was responsible for all of it.

"I think you'll find out soon enough. If not, I'll tell you."

She left it. Though she didn't know what 'soon enough' meant.

And so, seven years.

She had gone through her routine. Went to the library, even. She had spoken with Jareth and Cassie. With Sil and Pandy,

In all, a good half a day.

…and she found herself on the beach, barefoot. Her hair was loose down her back. It was warm for the autumn, but Lah'mu was mostly temperate, anyway.

Rey brushed some hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear…

And she stopped.

Sound had stopped.

She looked around her.

"Ben?" she whispered.

Nothing.

It had been so long ago…perhaps she was mistaken…

But there was only her heartbeat…"Ben?" she said again.

"I see you."

Her intake of breath was sharp…she dropped her shoes, turning around in a full circle, her eyes hunting for his frame. "Where?"

"Look again."

But there was nothing.

"You're not looking, Rey. Look with your eyes."

"What does that…?" but she stopped. And she saw him, at the far end of the beach, walking toward her. "Ben," and she advanced toward him.

Her heart was all she could hear or feel…Ben was all she could see.

He was walking faster now…his face stone and taut.

She broke into a run…

And in a moment, she reached him.

She smiled.

He swallowed. "I'm sorry."

Her face fell somewhat. She nodded. "It was…hurtful."

"I know. Forgive me. I did what I thought I needed to do."

"You made me question everything about myself, and then again, and again."

Ben nodded. She looked back up at him.

And she slapped him. "Don't ever do that again."

He smiled, rubbing his cheek.

…and he grabbed her.

And it was as though they had been trying to reach this place since they began this journey, everything culminating in a mess of limbs, lips, tongues and teeth. He was desperate, and she could not keep up…"Ben," she whispered in between when she could. "Let's go to the house," she breathed.

One hand was on her breast, the other in a wrap around her waist, keeping her close. He pulled slightly away, bringing his hand to cup her cheek. "I have waited…so long…" his voice cracked.

"Five minutes won't kill you," she smiled. "How are you here?"

His eyes searched hers. He pulled away even further, licking his lips and sitting on the beach.

Rey sat next to him. "Ben?"

"I knew what they would do. They would punish you. They would make certain that we never saw each other again. I had to do it, Rey. Not even Leia would be able to stop them."

"Who?"

"The Resistance. The people whom you fought with."

"What would they do?"

He looked at her. "You cannot be so naive. They would, if they believed you…and I do not think that they wanted to, which is why they spared you so willingly…have imprisoned you for treason," he looked at the sea. It was a deep, churning grey. The sky mirrored it, with Lah'mu's star insisting his ray's through the gaps in the cloud cover. "I would not see you there. So, I went."

"I have forgotten, mostly because it's too painful, what happened those days on Vox."

"I have lived them for seven years."

Rey looked at him, looking to the sea. "Did they let you out early, then?"

He nodded. "Leia's doing. She promised them that I'd be safely here. And watched."

"Are they watching…?" she looked behind her.

"Probably."

She swallowed. "And this is your doing too? The house? Everything?"

"Mostly Leia's. I told her anyplace with a sea," and he looked at her, smiling. "I hadn't forgotten your vision."

Rey dropped her gaze. She ran her fingers through the black sand. "It's perfect."

"Rey."

She looked at him.

"You forgive me?"

She nodded.

"Do you…" he paused, looked down, then back up again. "Do you love me?"

She felt it…the pull, the resistance, the force that bound them. It had been dormant for seven years…she had learned to bury it and deny it, because Ben wasn't there.

But he had been there.

Laying in patient wait for this moment to arrive…"Yes," she said, not softly. "I think I always have."

He nodded. "Let's go," and he stood, holding his hand out to her, just the way he had done over seven years ago.

Only this time he wasn't asking her to join him on a mad quest for galactic domination.

This time, he was asking her to bed.

And she took his hand, as he pulled her to standing.

They walked together along the beach, taking their time. Rey asked him a few questions, which he answered…but he wasn't interested in talking, she could tell.

They approached the house, which was through a thicket off the beach.

The sky was growing steadily more dark.

She pushed open the door, and took a deep breath. It had been a long, long time. And she had never really enjoyed it.

She felt his presence, but didn't look at him. She was fussing with some dishes and things from earlier.

"I'm nervous too," he whispered.

She stopped and turned.

He was staring at her, about five feet from where she stood. Rey smiled meekly.

"I always feel as though I am dragging you along, Rey. That you don't know your own mind. Your heart," he took a step closer. "All these years I spent in a glass cage…I was able to keep my sanity because I knew you were safe here on Lah'mu. I abandoned any aspirations apart from you, because I had given them up. And you…you were ready to sacrifice yourself, which is what sustained me. I believed that you loved me," another step.

She nodded.

"And here we are. The end of the longest journey I've ever walked," and he was in front of her. "And you are the end of my journey…I love you."

She smiled.

"It was a difficult lesson. But I think I've learned it."

"What's that?"

"Things worth having are worth waiting for," and he kissed her. "Tell me again."

"I love you," she kissed him.

"Say my name."

"I love you, Ben…"

And he picked her up, and carried her upstairs.

And onto the bed he placed her…he took her clothes off in a hungry, gentle way…and Rey started to pull his shirt off.

She lost all sense of time. Of place. Of thought. All that existed was her and Ben…and she was naked. And so was he.

And he stopped for a moment.

"What?" she said.

"Nothing…" he swallowed. He was hovering above her. And he entered her…

She gasped. Closed her eyes.

…and he felt her, a tight embrace around him. He shook from it. He had to move, he had to…

He began to move slowly, but his desire demanded he move quickly, and it took some restraint to slow him. But he did, and he felt her move in kind.

It almost undid him. He leaned over and kissed her neck, moving still, feeling the pulse between them. "So long…" he whispered in her ear. "It's been too long…" and it had been. Years in waiting.

His pace quickened as he felt her building crescendo beneath him…she was growing more and more wet, her breath came fast and sharp…he reached down to her sex and touched her…

And that made her unravel. She screamed.

He pounded himself into her at that, following her in mad pursuit.

He stopped.

His forehead pearled perspiration. He pulled himself out of her, but laid his cheek on her sternum, wrapping his arms around her torso.

He felt her hand touch his hair.

"We will be all right," she whispered.

And he slept.

Rey stared at the window all night. They were here. Where they were meant to be.

The last thing she saw before she closed her eyes…

…was the sunrise.

A/N: thank you, everyone, who has taken this journey with me! Apologies for this dilatory conclusion. I hope you enjoyed it, regardless.