Finn never thought he'd be here again. Here being fighting alongside ex-fellow Stormtroopers and the First Order. They didn't mean to be allies, but as the Resistance - well, just Finn, Poe, Rey, Rose, and Snap with their new friend Jannah - were passing through, there was a full on battle raging between whoever these soldiers in the weird hats were and a small band of the First Order led by Supreme Leader Kylo Ren. Before they knew it, the massive "weird hat" army turned on them as well.

The Resistance was in this strange land because there was a specific artifact that Rey had insisted that they needed. Or, at least, they needed to get it before the First Order did. This artifact is what, Finn assumed, brought the small band of Frist Order troops here as well. Unfortunately for both groups, the item wasn't there. It had apparently been moved decades ago by none other than Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi. Finn usually had much respect for the old legend, but at the moment he was cursing the long deceased man for sending them on a wild porg chase - even after death!

"Where's Chewie with that ship?!" Poe hollered over the noise of blaster fire and exploding wood and rock.

"I've commed him! He'll be here," Rey yelled back, a bit of bite in her tone.

Poe and Rose took out some more adversaries, and then Poe instructed everyone to start running for cover to wait for Chewie. They began sprinting through the madness, firing shots and Rey using her lightsaber however needed - more blocking shots than stabbing people.

"Snap! Run faster!" Poe took his increasingly bad mood out on his friend.

"I'm not used to running!" Snap defended himself, sounding thoroughly out of breath. "This is why I'm a pilot!"

The group took a pause for Snap to catch his breath. Rose wouldn't admit it, but she was happy for the rest as well. Though she was in good shape, her legs were much shorter than everyone else's - it was hard to keep up!

"Chewie should be headed for that clearing," Rey informed everyone, pointing ahead and to the right. "I'll provide a bit more cover so you can all get there as quickly as possible."

"I'll help," Jannah volunteered. Rey gave her an appreciative nod.

Finn didn't want to be shown up by his female friends, even though he'd freely admit that they both had more skill in their little fingers than he had in his whole body. So he volunteered as well. "I'll stay back, too."

"No!" Rose exclaimed. "You're staying with me."

"Babe, I'll provide you cover. Rey protects Poe's back, Jannah has Snap, and I've got you," he told her with a wink.

"I think I could actually cover both of you myself," Jannah told them kindly but also rightfully bragging about her abilities.

"Then it's settled. You'll cover Finn and Rose while I cover Poe and Snap," Rey concluded with a stern look at Finn, not leaving room for argument.

"Great. Good. It's settled. Now let's go," Poe said impatiently and headed off toward the clearing before anyone could decide to lag behind.

Rey and Jannah used their skills to the best of their ability, successfully keeping their friends safe. It didn't take long for Rey to spot the glowing red lightsaber of her complicated enemy from across the battlefield. She watched as he charged forward, flanked by Stormtroopers, slashing through his enemies and slamming others into the ground.

"Come on, Rey. We better head for the ship before we get too involved here," Jannah said, already backing away from the fight.

"Go. I'll cover you and be right behind," Rey told her new friend. Jannah nodded and ran off.

Rey backed away, blocking with her saber and shooting with her blaster. She did her best to scan the area to keep herself and Jannah safe - of course, Jannah was halfway to the Millennium Falcon by now - but she locked eyes with him, thoroughly distracting her. They had been forced closer together, the native army channeling Rey left and Kylo right. He was so close now that only a few steps from each of them and they would be able to touch. Not that she wanted to touch him or anything. Her skin was just feeling prickly.

The look in Kylo's eyes when he first saw her was of surprise, and then they hardened. His expression wasn't hate or anger per se, but he no longer had that hungry, pleading look. Either way, he seemed interested in her presence, like he had been waiting to see her again.

"Watch out!" he suddenly yelled at her and closed the distance between them.

Rey hadn't been paying attention, lost in a pair of pretty eyes again. She didn't notice the man coming up behind her with his weapon. She wasn't ready for the blow, and she knew that it would hurt. She closed her eyes, turned her head, and braced for the impact.

It didn't feel like she thought it would. Instead, it just felt like she was knocked to the ground. Then she heard the familiar sound of Kylo's weapon. The man fell, dead, onto the ground next to her. Rey looked up at Kylo, shocked that he had just saved her. Again. He extended his hand to her to help her up. She just stared at it for a second and then accepted his help.

"I- uh- thanks," she mumbled.

Kylo just offered her a nod before turning away to continue the battle.

Rey hesitated. She felt the need to return the favor, to help him now. However, she really needed to get to her ship, seeing as her friends were waiting for her to leave this horrible planet! Yes. Her friends needed her. Kylo could handle himself perfectly well. He did not need her. Besides, she was still disappointed in him for the path he chose, specifically choosing the First Order over her... and his wonderful mother!

She turned away to go after her friends, quickly dodging around bodies. On her way, Rey noticed less First Order troops and more of the native army. She glanced back and noticed that Kylo was quickly becoming outnumbered. She made it a few more feet, her friends waving her on franticly, before she stopped. Her conscience got the better of her. Rey knew that although he was strong with the force, he wouldn't be able to fight his way single-handedly out of this mess. No matter what he had done, she couldn't lose him now. She wouldn't be able to save anyone else from the First Order. Just him. She owed him one, or two, anyway.

Rey grunted in frustration and turned to run back to Kylo. She managed to catch the looks of disbelief from Poe and Finn before she began her fight back through the oncoming attackers.

"Hello again," she said, appearing at his side and slicing her lightsaber through some poor soul's chest.

"What are you doing?!" Kylo sounded angry, or maybe it was just the effort he was putting into the fight.

"You need to come with me now," Rey told him, leaving no room for argument.

"No," he said with a grunt as he body-slammed a man to the ground and sliced trough his neck.

"Ben..." she said exasperated. "All of your troops are being massacred. Please let me help you. Come with me now, and you will live to see another day."

"If I come with you, your friends will kill me. How does that save my life?!" Kylo took the moment of peace to look her in the eye.

"They won't. I won't let them," Rey promised.

He looked around, and it pained him to admit that she was right. "Alright," he conceded. "Lead the way."

Rey gave him a bright smile, grabbed his hand, and dragged him towards the Falcon. She couldn't help but to chuckle to herself upon seeing the pure look of bewilderment on her friends' faces. Finn was already shaking his head no. Rose's mouth was wide open. Poe was glaring. Snap and Jannah were most likely helping Chewie get ready for a quick exit, so she luckily didn't have to deal with them. Yet.

A loud explosion knocked Kylo back, causing him to lose his grip on Rey's hand. There was ringing in his ears as he got back to his feet as quickly as possible, and he searched through the smoke for Rey. He spotted her lying still on the ground. As he got closer, it was obvious that she was unconscious. He checked her quickly for wounds, only finding a gash on her head - the blow that knocked her out - and gathered her into his arms. Kylo resumed his path to the Falcon, willing his legs to move faster. Gone was the fear of what Rey's friends were going to do to him. He had a new purpose now. Get her to safety as quickly as possible.

Kylo couldn't believe that she had come back for him. That she would even want to save him. He really should have known, though. She had always been a compassionate soul. It was one of things that had made him fall in love with her. And he was, completely head over heels, one hundred percent, in love with her. There was no denying it. Not now. It was silly to think that he ever tried. He was consumed with getting her to that ship and assessing her injuries further. He just hoped her idiot friends would let him.

As he marched up the ramp, Finn made to stand in front of him, while Poe came up behind his friend to have his back. "We can take her from here," the ex-Stormtrooper told Kylo.

Kylo, of course, just scoffed and pushed past them.

"Did you not hear him?" Poe spoke up. "You are not welcome here. We are not afraid of you. Get off of this ship now."

Kylo gently laid Rey on the couch, and turned on them, fierceness flashing in his eyes. "First of all, this is my ship as it had belonged to my father-"

"Who you murdered!" Finn snarled.

"I don't have time for this," he growled. "She doesn't have time for this!" With the authority inherited from his father, his booming voice called up to the cockpit, "Chewie! Get us out of here!"

For his part, Chewie didn't hesitate and did as his wayward nephew commanded. However, they were definitely going to have a chat - maybe more than that - once they landed. For now though, Chewie closed the ramp, prepared for take off, and was off the ground and into the sky in no time. Once far enough into the atmosphere, they went into hyperspace.

Kylo sat down and rested Rey's head in his lap. He tried to use the force to further see what was wrong with her. If it had been anyone else, the force wouldn't have worked that way. But this was Rey, and they had a bond. He was relieved to find that there was no serious harm inflicted upon her mind. This relief was evident in his expression, relaxing the small group that had gathered around him.

"She's just truly knocked out from the debris that hit her head. The worst of it is this gash. Is there any bacta onboard?" he questioned Poe directly.

"No, but there is plenty back at..." Poe trailed off, not wanting to disclose their location.

"Like it or not, you all are stuck with me. Rey saved my life. She obviously thought I was worth saving. I'm going to take care of her," he told them sternly but without any of his previous annoyance and anger. "If you would be kind enough to comm my mother so it's not a complete shock when I show up, that would be greatly appreciated. Leia does not like surprises."

It had only been about a standard week or two, and everyone was acclimating pretty well to having the fallen son of their General around. That's not to say that anybody trusted him as far as they could throw him - it was doubtful that anyone could even pick that large man up - but he had given up the alias of Kylo Ren and retaken the name Ben Solo.

He still wore black, however, and that didn't really seem like it was going to change. Someone even asked him once why he insisted on wearing black all the time. He told them that it hid the blood of his enemies well. He was left alone regarding his fashion choices after that!

Surprisingly, Poe seemed to enjoy having Ben around immensely. Sure most of that joy was due to the fact that Poe was his senior officer, but it made it easy for everyone else to accept Ben since Poe did.

Not surprising anyone was the tension surrounding Rey and Ben. It wasn't the tension that would have been previously suspected, a violent tension, but something different. For two smooth force users, they were very awkward around each other. The only time that awkwardness went away was when they were sparring with their sabers or meditating.

It was blatantly obvious to everyone that he was in love with the girl. Well, it was obvious to everyone except Rey. She just took it all in stride as part of their friendship. For her part, Rey wasn't exactly in love with Ben. She liked him fine. She definitely found him extremely attractive, but that was lust and not love. She cared for him. She liked being near him, but she would turn skittish when it did seem like he wanted more out of their relationship. She would make excuses and run away.

One such time occurred as they were practicing hand-to-hand combat. She had swept his leg, taking him down, but he had grabbed her ankle to pull her down as well. He quickly rolled to pin her underneath him. They both knew there was no way she could move this lug of a man without playing dirty. She wasn't willing to do that since it would actually hurt him.

"You give in?" Ben asked with a smirk.

Rey took her time and made a show of thinking about it, admittedly enjoying the weight of his body on hers - it was a new sensation. His hair fell a bit to tickle her face, and she giggled and squirmed underneath him.

"Get a room!" they heard what was distinctly Poe's voice yelling at them.

The shock that flashed in her eyes caused Ben to immediately release her and clamor to his feet. He offered Rey a hand to help her up, which she took without hesitation.

"Well, ok," he said, brushing the dirt off of his knees.

"Yeah, um, I gotta-" she began.

"Yeah. Me too," he said to stop any awkwardness. He had gotten too close for her comfort again, and he kind of hated himself for it.

She nodded and started to walk off.

"Rey?" Her name from his lips stopped her. "Thanks. For not leaving me. That day." Ben felt the need to soothe her nervousness.

"Well, I kind of owed you. You've saved me a couple times already," she pointed out.

"Yeah, but you had to go against your friends."

"You went against your Master..." she reminded him.

"Yeah, but it's easy to go against someone you hate than those you love. So, again, thanks."

"Well, I'll let you in on a little secret. I think they like having you here more than they'd ever admit." She gave him a warm smile.

"Yeah?" he didn't sound like he believed her so she nodded. "Well, I need to get back to letting Dameron boss me around," he sighed. "I'm sure I'll be answering to BB-8 as well soon enough..." he smirked.

Ben was tinkering with the landing pads on the Falcon when his superior appeared. He sighed loudly, wondering what Poe was going to have him do next. It did seem that most of the things he was charged with had to do with his height, and Poe's lack of it. He didn't stop his tinkering, however, and just patiently waited for Poe to speak. What he said, though, caught him completely off guard.

"When are you going to tell Rey that you're in love with her?" Poe questioned him.

Ben paused his movements and turned only his head to look at Poe. "What?" he asked as if he hadn't heard Poe correctly, though the coloring of the tips of his ears proved otherwise.

"You heard me," Poe called him out on the fact. "It is painful to watch you two dance around each other every single damn day. Just kiss her or something!"

"I don't see how that's any of your business..." Ben started on the defensive. Then he thought better of it and indulged the conversation. "Why would you encourage me to pursue her? She's your friend, and you hate me."

"Well, if my suspicions are incorrect and you kiss her, she might give you a good slap across the face, which would be very entertaining," Poe confessed. "However, I do not think I'm wrong. I think she likes you too. And, yes, she's my friend. She deserves happiness. Even if it's with you."

Ben stared at Poe for a few seconds and then shook his head. "You're messing with me. You want me to get slapped."

Poe snorted out a laugh. "I would like to see Rey slap you. Hard, too. But I'm not messing with you. You should at least invite her to your room. Maybe after dinner. If she says yes, then you know she likes you as more than a friend." Poe gave him a wink.

"But there's nothing to do in my room. Why would I invite her to go there?" Ben asked, genuinely confused.

"Seriously," Poe stared at Ben like he was an idiot. He then cocked his head and studied Ben curiously. "Have you ever done anything with a girl? You're a virgin, aren't you?"

Ben felt his whole body turn red from embarrassment. "Again, I don't see how my past... sex life-"

"Or lack thereof..." Poe muttered.

"-is any of your business," Ben continued, ignoring Poe's interjection. "You're saying that you think I should invite Rey to my room for sex?! Are you crazy?! Or stupid. Probably both!"

Poe shrugged. "It's a sure way to see if she likes you as more than a friend."

"Considering you seem to have no significant other, I don't think I'll take your advice," Ben told him curtly.

"Hey, the tension between you two is stifling! We," Poe gestured around him indicating the other Resistance members milling around, "don't have the force like you and Rey, but we can feel it! It would be great if you two could just fuck each other and have it done with so that we can all breathe easier..."

"You-" Ben began but it turned out that he really didn't know what to say. "I don't like you," he settled on, gathering his things. "I would appreciate it if you would stay out of my private affairs." With that, he turned and stalked off. Ben had worked too hard to repress the darkness inside him. It would be a shame if he lost control now just to maim Rey's friend, and his mother's favorite flyboy!

"So..." Rose tried to fill the silence.

Rey looked up from the Jedi text she was currently trying to decipher and fixed Rose with an expectant stare.

"You and Ben... are just friends? Or you want to be more than that?"

"We're just friends, Rose. We don't see each other like that," Rey replied.

"Do you have eyes? He definitely sees you like that! I'm just wondering about you," Rose told her.

"He does not! He's told me that I'm basically a scavenger rat and come from nothing. He does not like me... romantically, if that's what you're implying," Rey corrected her.

"I politely disagree," Rose argued to her friend. "Besides, I asked about how you felt. Do you like him as more than a friend?"

Rey gave up on trying to read and shut her book, putting it in her lap. She looked at Rose but was thinking. She hadn't really thought about it before! Well, that was a lie, she had. She remembered how badly she wanted to kiss him, or for him to kiss her, when they were in the turbolift - that seemed like years ago. Things just turned out differently than she had expected, so she had pushed those feelings away, banishing them into nonexistence.

"I don't know," she answered simply. "I think I'm just happy to have his friendship, to finally have him on our side. I don't want to risk anything with feelings. He's already experienced so much change. I'm one of the few people he trusts. I don't want to break that trust by trying to push something that isn't there."

"But, it's already there! It is so there!" Rose argued. "He stopped being the Supreme Leader of the entire galaxy to be here with you. How can you not see that he is completely in love with you?!"

"Well, I'm not in love with him. Sure I find him attractive, and I would let him kiss me if he wanted to... but love and lust are not the same thing. If there's anything between us, then, it's just attraction. Not love."

"Ok, then. Go work that lust out! There are worse ways to lose your virginity than to broody tree of a man. Just don't tell Finn I said any of this!" Rey gaped at Rose. "What?" the shorter woman asked innocently with a shrug.

"I- I will not- do not- Being a virgin is fine with me!" Rey said petulantly, face turning bright pink.

Rose held her hands up. "Ok, ok! Just trying to give you some helpful advice..."

"Well, it's not! It's meddling, and we don't see each other that way!" Rey opened her book to resume reading.

"Fine. Maybe you can at least get him to help you with that damn book. Ask him to come to your room and finally figure that stuff out!" Rose tapped the book with her foot, and Rey swatted her away.

"Maybe," she replied, but was truly considering seeking his assistance. Ben - well, Kylo - had offered to be her teacher at one time, so he probably wouldn't mind helping her out.

"We've all got free time after dinner," Rose pointed out. "I'm sure he'd more than happy to read boring books with you then. You two will at least have plenty of energy to delve into the topic at hand."

"I guess," Rey conceded. "It wouldn't hurt to ask him. I just want to respect his feelings on all this Jedi stuff. He doesn't exactly enjoy it! I also want to be clear that I have no interest in learning anything about the dark side."

"He seems to respect you. Besides, you're the only true friend he has, so I'm sure he'll do anything you ask!" Rose gave Rey a smile. It was an odd, knowing smile, but Rey wasn't sure Rose's meaning behind it. She definitely had no intention in asking either!

Ben always sat with Rey during mealtimes. If necessary, he would rearrange his whole schedule to do so. That was one good thing about having Poe as his babysitter, he was nice enough to allow Ben to be with Rey as much as possible. However, in the event that he couldn't change his schedule to meet hers, he found that she would change hers to match his. So it was no surprise to him when he showed up late for dinner that she was waiting patiently for him.

"Sorry I'm late," he muttered. "One of the U-wings doused me in oil and gunk. I had to wash up before dinner."

"It's fine," she reassured him, noticing his damp hair. The sight of it did something to her stomach, as if there was something fluttering in there.

"Have you eaten yet?" he asked softly. "I hope you didn't wait for me."

"Of course I waited for you," Rey told him. "I don't want you to eat alone."

Neither of them wanted the other to be lonely ever again, almost to a point that it annoyed everyone else at how clingy they could get towards each other. Especially when Rey insisted in including him in everything! Finn took particular offense to this. Sometimes he wanted some one-on-one time with his friend.

"Well, I didn't want you to go hungry," he countered as they headed over to choose their food from the various offerings available to them. He knew her past and was going to make damn sure she'd never feel the stab of hunger again.

Rey snorted a laugh. "Thirty minutes longer isn't going to make me 'go hungry!' Besides, I can just steal some of yours if I want," she said with a wink as she knocked her hip against his.

"You can have anything of mine that is sweet because I don't like it anyway, but I'd love to see you try to steal any of my meat!" he grinned at her.

"Yeah, Rey. Keep your hands off of Benny's meat!" Poe teased as he joined them in searching for the perfect selection of food. The innuendo was not missed. Ben and Rey both rolled their eyes at Poe's immaturity.

"You're the oldest one of my friends, yet you act like the youngest!" Rey told Poe, elbowing him jokingly in his side.

"Ow! You've got a sharp elbow!" he complained. "But you set yourself up for that! Couldn't help it," he shrugged. Poe decided to grab a piece of fruit and leave the - what he considered - lovebirds alone.

After finally coming to an agreement between themselves, Ben and Rey took a seat across from each other at a small empty table. They often not only ate together but would share their meals with each other, swapping items that the other preferred with something else. This time, however, Ben noticed that she was eyeing his plate greedily while also seeming reluctant to give up anything specific on hers.

He slid his plate to the middle of the table and suggested, "Why don't we just share all of it tonight?"

Rey smirked, pushing her plate forward to rest next to his. "What if I eat it all before you can have any?"

"Not possible. I think you underestimate how speedy I can eat," he gave her a wink.

"Very well, then. Just don't be offended when I start with your dessert first!" She quickly sunk her fork into his chocolatey goodness of a concoction and promptly shoved it in her mouth.

"I don't mind," he told her. "As you know I'm not a fan of sweet things." He wanted to add 'besides you' but thought that would be too forward.

After Rey swallowed down her dessert, she watched as Ben's expression became one of amusement. She raised an eyebrow at him, but he just shook his head and leaned forward to wipe the corner of her mouth with his thumb. "Messy eater, scavenger," he commented.

She blushed lightly and looked back down at the plates of food, deciding what to start on next. She took a bit of meat, but decided to ask Ben what she needed before stuffing her mouth again. "If you're not busy, do you think you would have some time to come to my room tonight? I confess that I need your help."

Rey didn't notice since she was looking down to cut her meat when she asked, but Ben's gaze on her sharpened at her request. "Your room?" he repeated as if to be sure.

"Unless you'd rather I come to your room?" she replied, looking back up to meet his gaze. The way he was looking at her... well, she had never seen him look like that. The fluttering in her stomach returned with a vengeance.

"No. No, I- it will be good to be in your room," he managed to reply. Ben was now kicking himself for not asking Poe more questions about what to do, how to go about things once they were in a bedroom together.

She smiled at him and resumed eating her meal. Rey was nervous to have him come have a look at the Jedi texts. This was mainly due to her not knowing how he'd react to the subject matter, or if he'd even help. Was it too soon since he had turned ever so slightly from the dark side to ask him to teach her more about the light? Rey wasn't sure, but she was willing to find out.