The fire burns in front of him. He's lost in the flames, dwelling on memories of screaming and agony. The sound of his voice giving the order to kill them all. The smell of burnt flesh scorched up inside his nostrils.

There's a soft squeeze against his knee. He turns his focus outward. His eyes land on Rey's radiant smile and the memories blow away like smoke in the wind.

Night has fallen on D'Qar as the Resistance celebrates the destruction of a First Order dreadnought. A group has gathered by a bonfire. The flames illuminate a circle of happy, animated faces.

Javelina and Finn are having a rousing debate about who will succeed Phasma as commander of the stormtroopers. Master Luke and Breighty are in a deep philosophical discussion about robots having souls. Poe and Chewie are comparing the weapon upgrades Rey recently finished for them. Leia is nagging good-naturedly at Han. Han rolls his eyes at Ben, and Ben's smile in return is only slightly forced.

He laces his fingers through Rey's hand, lifting her palm to his mouth for a gentle, breathy kiss. Heat stirs low in his groin, and before long they sneak away from the ring of fire light.

Few nights are as carefree as this one. He still has patches of rust that need to be scraped clean. They still have to win a war. But with the strength of his family, and the love of the woman wrapped in his arms, Ben believes anything is possible.

/

Author's Note: Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed this story. What were your favorite parts? Was there anything that could be improved? I'd love to hear what you think.