A/N: Finally! I know it been like a seriously long time since updating and I do apologize. It just took awhile to write the ending for this story. It was hard. Anyway, enjoy and let me know what you think.

"Tell me." she asks, leaning away from their embrace. "Tell me what happened."

He looks at her, searching her eyes for any reason to distrust her. He only finds openness and a spark of warmth that seems to make her eyes glow. "My family loved doing things together, whether it be bowling or playing monopoly or cooking; we just enjoyed each other so much that it didn't matter what we were doing, as long as we were doing it together." Tears formed by memories slip down his cheeks. "We decided one day to go bicycling. I don't know why or even whose idea it was but three years ago today found my parents and I riding along the forest trails. The subject was brought up about what I was going to do after high-school. I had thought about it before, made up my mind, but never approached my parents. My father wanted me to take over the trading company he'd build up with my uncle Chew. My mom threw out the idea of following in her footsteps in the political world. I couldn't see myself doing either. Being the punk ass teenager I was, I told them so but not in the most respectful of ways. My father got upset at me so I stormed off on my bike, riding down the trial and off onto the road. My father followed, so intent on catching up to me that he didn't see the car coming around the corner. He was dead before the ambulance got there. The last thing I said to him was 'Screw you, dad. Who needs you anyway?'" He hops off the stool, running a hand through his hair then down his face. "I did that to him! I killed him and stole him from my mother. I know she can't stand even looking at me and I feel the overwhelming guilt every time I look at her. It'd be better if I was just gone."

Rey hurries over to him, wiping the tears from his cheeks, oblivious to the ones streaming down her own, and takes his hand in hers. "I am so sorry." He crumples to the floor at that and she follows. "You can't take your mother's son too, though." He just shakes his head, covering his head in his hands. She gets an idea and stands up, holding out her hand for him. "Come on, Ben. I want to show you something."

He looks up at her confused, "What?" He takes her offered hand, getting to his feet.

It's a short walk from her place back to the bridge but it seems infinity longer because of the silence that passes between them. He has his hands stuffed into the pockets of his sweatshirt and keeps glancing over at her every few minutes, unsure of what's going on. She, on the other hand, walks confidently, trying to keep up with his long strides. She's replaced her t-shirt with a bulky sweater. As they cross onto the bridge, she takes a hold of his hand and gives it a little squeeze. She leads him to the edge and leans against the railing that just a hours ago held the life of a young man atop itself. She doesn't say anything, letting the view speak for itself. She can see the effect though, that it has on Ben. His features soften as he takes it all in, tears forming in his eyes.

"How can something so deadly be so beautiful?" he whispers, looking out at the freshly risen sun surrounded by vibrantly colored clouds.

"It's all about how you use it."

"You were right," he pulls her hand closer. "It does do help boost my hope." his smile is so pure and genuine, Rey can't help the overwhelming sensation to kiss him right then and there that burst through her. She doesn't though. He has enough to deal with right now. She has enough to deal with too. Might as well not add to the pile. She decides to take a different path.

"My parents died when I was younger, about ten. Car accident." she says, Ben looking at her, taken aback. She looks out across the water, not being able to tell this story and look someone in the eye. "I was sent to live with my uncle. He was the only living family I had." she chokes up, sniffing and blinking away the moisture in her eyes. "Everything was okay for three years but soon after I turned thirteen, he started acting weird. He'd hug me longer and for odd reasons, his comforting hand soon turned a little rougher. Eventually he took it too far and-"

"Sshhh." Ben pulls her to his chest, not wanting to hear her say it as much as she didn't want to talk about it.

She does though, "He raped me. Repeatedly. He hurt me in so many ways and I couldn't say anything. He threatened to kill me, to let his friends do what he did. I felt like I had done something wrong so I was too afraid to say anything." she rolls up her sweater sleeves. "I had no control over my life, over how he hurt me, but I could control this. Eventually someone found out; I was sixteen. Everything came to light, he was thrown in jail, and I was thrown into the foster system. Nobody wanted the tattered garbage of a messed up childhood so I just crept into my depression farther and farther. My cuts got deeper, my meals got smaller, my words got softer. Once I turned eighteen, I was able to get out and start my own life. I just didn't know how to do that. It was a miracle that I found Finn when I did. He pretty much saved my life. He got me started on the right track and I haven't picked up a razor in nearly two years. It's not impossible but it's harder than hell."

He does it then, what she was too worried about doing earlier. He leans down, pressing his lips to hers softly, hesitantly, unsure if she will reciprocate his feelings. She is surprised at first, confused about what to do with her hands, her lips, but then she closes her eyes and melts into his embrace. It's like nothing she has ever felt before. She's never been in a relationship, never really felt so ardently for anyone. When she first met Finn, she sensed him harboring feelings for her but her wounds were still too fresh. By the time she had healed, mentally and physically, they were too close, too much like siblings, for anything to happen. Now, though, now is an entirely different story. She reaches up, running her fingers through the strands of his disheveled hair. Her other hand comes to rest on his chest, right above his heart. She can feel it beating, the reminder that this is real. They break apart, neither knowing how long the kiss had lasted, out of breath and smiling.

"The sunrise is nothing compared to you." Ben whispers, leaning down and kissing the top of her head.

She steps back slightly, her face becoming more serious, "You can't do this for me; get better. You can't do it for me or your mom or even your dad. We can help you, inspire you, but ultimately, it has to be for you. You are the only one who can save yourself."

He nods, the smile falling from his lips, "I know that."

"And it won't be easy." tears well up in her eyes, "There are going be days when you want to give up, to let it all go but you can't. You can't let your demons win." she seems to be reminding herself more than him.

He pulls her close. Comforting her solidifies something in him. He wants to get better, he doesn't want this pain, this suffering, anymore. He's not doing it for her, his father, or his mother. He's going to do it because of them. He knows it will be hard but he also knows it will be worth it. It doesn't matter how long it takes, he will get better and he'll try to help mend whatever wounds are still untended in her soul as well.