Work Text:
Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or anything that relates to Star Wars.
Rating: T
Continuity: Post TLJ
A/N: This one-shot is dedicated to my wifey grlie-girl over on Tumblr. The prompt was "We can't go in there…" I actually wrote the ending first as a short drabble and wasn't intending to do more, but then a fic bug got into my head and here we are XD Enjoy!
Luminous Beings Are We
By: sushigirlali
"Rey, we can't go in there…"
"Why not?"
"Because we have no idea what kind of condition the Empire left the temple in," Finn said pointedly. "We should do some recon first, make sure it's safe. I bet Rose could rig the Falcon's sensors to check for explosives. Knowing her, it would only take a few hours."
"Finn, I grew up taking Imperial technology apart, surely—"
"Scavenging wrecked starships isn't the same thing and you know it," he admonished. "Luke said most of the Jedi temples were booby-trapped after the purge to eliminate any strays looking for sanctuary."
"I know what Master Skywalker said, but that was over fifty years ago!" she challenged.
"We should still be careful," he reiterated.
Rey blew out a breath. "Are you really going to try and stop me?"
"Are you really going to ignore everything I've just said?"
"It's not that I don't understand where you're coming from, Finn, I do, but we're running out of time. We still haven't found a way to shield against hyperspace tracking, so the First Order could catch up with us any minute," Rey reasoned. "You know B—Kylo isn't going to stop until he gets what he wants."
The determination on Finn's face gradually faded as he realized that she wasn't going to budge. "At least let BB run a scan on the entrance," he implored. "Do that and I'll stop nagging you."
"Promise?" she grinned, lifting her communicator to her mouth. "BB-8? I need your help."
Once the rocky outcrop was deemed safe, Rey moved past Finn and the droid to inspect the intricately carved entryway. There didn't appear to be a locking mechanism of any kind, but then the ancient Jedi probably hadn't needed one. What was that like, I wonder? To be so sure of your superiority that you didn't even bother to lock the front door?
"That's not fair, Rey," Luke chided as he blinked into existence beside her. "Whatever their faults, the Jedi were guardians of peace and justice for over a thousand generations. They deserve your respect."
Rey glanced at the faint blue outline of her master. "Weren't you the one who said they were hypocritical failures?"
"Did I? Well, nobody's perfect," he shrugged.
You'd know, she thought, rolling her eyes.
Whatever happened to respecting your elders? Luke sighed. Padawans these days…
"Stay out of my head," she glared.
"Stop leaving yourself open," he countered. "You need to be mindful of your thoughts, Rey, especially now. I wouldn't be surprised if Ben—"
"Don't say his name," she cut him off, stiffly turning away to scrutinize the symbols stamped into the massive stone door. It would take a while to decipher them even with Luke's assistance, but Rey was feeling reckless. "I think all we have to do is push, Finn. Care to give me a hand?"
"Is, uh, that what Luke said we should do?" Finn asked, skirting around the spot she'd been staring at.
"I didn't ask him," Rey said absently, bracing her shoulder against the left side of the door. "Push on three."
"Hey, wait!" Finn scrambled to get in position.
"Ready? One, two, three!" The door gave easily under their weight, creaking open to reveal a long marble hallway. The ivory walls contrasted sharply with the onyx floor and ceiling, making it seem like the hallway went on forever before tapering off into shadow.
"Whoa!" Finn exclaimed, looking both fascinated and fearful. "Do you think it's safe?"
What laid beyond the eerie passage was anyone's guess, but she wasn't afraid. "Only one way to find out." Rey flipped on the penlight attached to her mask and stepped over the threshold. A chorus of voices called out her name in protest, but she ignored them, moving forward until her slight form was swallowed by darkness.
Ten minutes later, Rey regretted storming into the temple without consulting her friends first. With only a sliver of light to lead the way, it was impossible to see more than a few feet in front of her, forcing her to measure her pace. I'm sure Rose would've lent me some gear if I'd bothered to ask, but the moment Luke mentioned Ben, I just…
The memory of his face, pale and pleading, had haunted her dreams over the last twelve months. Refusing his outstretched hand had been the most difficult decision of her life, but he'd left her few alternatives. It wasn't fair of him to ask me to choose, but then, I suppose I could say the same of myself.
Still, for a few precious moments, Rey had thought that she'd finally found the one. Someone who understood her, who trusted her, who…loved her. Not just for her mystical abilities or practical skills, but for her, for Rey, the lonely scavenger from Jakku.
"This is not going to go the way you think," Luke had warned her, but she'd been so sure of her vision that Ben's ultimatum had completely…
Oh! I can see light ahead! Shaking off her sorrow, Rey shot towards the end of the hall. The shape of a door emerged a few steps later, outlined by a soft white glow. Every path has an end, she mused, remembering the cave on Ahch-To. Thank the stars.
Skidding to a halt in front of the plain wooden door, she carefully clutched the dull silver nob and twisted it open. "Oh!" To her surprise, the small circular space was drab and nearly empty; the only thing of note being a raised stone dais in the center of the room.
Hmm, what's that? Some kind of artifact? Cautiously moving inside, Rey eyed the dark gray granite box sitting atop the pulpit. Interestingly, the lid was imprinted with the mark of the Jedi. "Finn?" she spoke into her communicator.
"Rey! Are you alright?" he responded at once.
She smiled at his concern. "I'm fine."
"Are you sure, I can—"
"I found something," she interjected, heading him off.
"A crystal?" he said excitedly.
"I think so. I found a small container embossed with the Jedi crest. I haven't opened it yet, though."
"Do you think it's safe?"
Good question. Rey closed her eyes, reaching out to the Force as she focused on the box before her. There was definitely something inside, something powerful, but she didn't get the impression that the item was dangerous. "Seems safe," she relayed, trying to sound certain for her friend's sake. "I'm going to leave my com open. Wish me luck."
"Rey…"
Gingerly touching the top of the box, she was thrilled when it didn't immediately explode in her hands. Okay. So far so good. Now, finish it. Taking a deep breath, Rey slowly lifted the heavy lid away. "Finn, you're not going to believe this," she said, sagging in relief when a large colorless crystal came into view.
"We hit another dead end?" he said tentatively.
"No, dummy!" Rey shouted in triumph. "We did it!"
"We did?!" he laughed at her enthusiasm. "That's amazing! Now get back here! We're running out of time, remember?"
"You got it," she promised, setting the cover aside. "I'm just going to check it out and then—"
"Stop! Don't move!"
Rey froze, startled by the rough command. "Ben?" she gaped. It had been over a year, but she'd recognize his deep voice anywhere.
"Where are you?" Ben Solo demanded, sliding into focus before her.
"N—none of your business!" she stammered, taking in his haggard appearance. Oh, Ben, you look terrible.
"You're in danger," he said frankly, "of course it's my business."
"Since when?!" Rey battled back. "I've been in worse situations than this since the last time we met and you never—"
"Ah, Rey?" Finn piped up. "What's going on? Who are you talking to?"
Oh, shit. Rey motioned for Ben to be quiet. "Uh, nothing, Finn! Just talking to myself." Rey scowled at as Ben's lips twitched in amusement, slamming the cover back on the box. "I'm coming back now."
"Okay, Rey," Finn replied, letting her off the hook for now. "See you soon."
Turning off her communicator, Rey placed a possessive hand on top of the stone box. "Are you here to stop me from taking this kyber crystal?" she inquired suspiciously. "Because you're a little late. And incorporeal."
"I don't care about the crystal," Ben said dismissively.
"Then why?"
"I already told you," he said, coming closer, "I'm here because you're in danger."
"How would you know?" she hissed, not backing down. "After all this time, you've got some nerve trying to—oh!"
She quieted as he hesitantly reached out and caressed the brown leather armband encircling her right bicep. "You covered it."
"Well, I…" she flushed. "I didn't want anyone asking questions."
"You didn't want a reminder, you mean." Ben looked away, absently touching his own scar. His expression made her heart clench.
"Stop it! You can't—you can't just show up out of the blue and try to make me feel guilty for—"
"That's not why I'm here," he reiterated, dropping his hand. "I'm only trying to protect you. Leave the box and go."
"I knew it!" Rey cried. "You do want the crystal for yourself!"
"No, I do not!" he denied. "I'm telling you, something doesn't feel right about—Rey, no!"
But she wasn't listening. I've searched too far for too long. I'm not giving this up. Snatching the rare resource off the pedestal, she was in the process of shoving it into her bag when the floor suddenly gave way. "Ahhhhh! Ben!" she screamed, falling several stories into a dark pit hidden below the chamber.
"Rey!" he yelled, jumping through the hole after her. He landed heavily at her side, thrown off balance by the thirty-foot drop. "Rey, are you—oh, Force!"
"Ben!" she gasped, lying flat on her back and buried up to the neck in rubble. "Help…Ben…hit my head…going to…pass out…Ben…"
"Rey? Rey!"
"Ouch…" Rey gradually lifted her throbbing head, feeling sluggish and disoriented. "What—where? Ben?"
"Lie still," he demanded roughly, cradling her battered body to his chest.
"You're alright," she sighed, rubbing her cheek against the soft fabric of his shirt. They were sitting on the hard ground under a rocky overhang, protecting them from the harsh midday sun. Ben's black cloak is going to get filthy, she thought idly.
"I'm—? Of course, I'm alright!" Ben said incredulously. "You're the one who nearly broke your neck!"
"Hey!" she slapped his arm. "Not so loud."
"Sorry," he mumbled, smoothing her soft sable hair away from her bruised cheek, "but you scared the hell out of me."
"I did?" Rey gazed up at him curiously. "I can't quite remember…"
"You were inside a Jedi temple, searching for a kyber crystal to replace the one that we…well, when you grabbed it, the floor collapsed and you fell." He paused, appearing anguished. "I thought you were dead for a moment there, but you'd only fainted."
"You saved me, didn't you, Ben?" she smiled, eyes bright. "You pulled me out somehow."
"Well…yes," he said gently. "I'm not exactly sure how our bond works, but I was able to—"
"Hey, Rey? Excuse me. Hi. What's going on here, exactly?" Finn cut in.
Rey peered around, only just realizing that her friends were crowded nearby. They must think I'm crazy, talking to myself like this. "I, uh, had an accident inside the temple, so I'm feeling pretty dizzy. In fact, I'm not even sure what I'm saying right now, so, um...feel free to ignore everything I just said!"
"Really, Rey?" Poe slanted her a look.
"What?" she said nervously. "Nothing…weird happened, or anything. Just an accident, I swear!"
"Care to explain why you're sitting in Kylo Ren's lap, then?" Poe said pointedly.
Her eyebrows shot up. "Wait, are you saying you can see him?! How—owww!" Rey held her aching skull between her hands. "Can we do this later?" she said weakly. "I think I might have a concussion."
"But what about him?" Poe said indigently. "We can't just allow him to—"
"Leave her alone," Ben growled. "She's hurt, or can't you see that."
"And how do we know that you're not the cause of it?" Poe charged. "Are we supposed to just take your word for it, Supreme Leader Ren?"
"Oh, come on, Poe, look at her," Rose intreated. "Does she look afraid of him?"
"No, but that doesn't mean—"
"Poe, that's enough," Finn said seriously. "You gave me a chance when you had every reason not to. We at least owe Rey that much. If she wants him here, he stays."
"Ah, hell, why do you always have to ruin my fun?" Poe grinned. "But you're the one who's going to have to keep an eye on him, okay? We don't even know if he's ship-trained yet."
"I'm not a pet, Dameron," Ben deadpanned.
"No?" Poe glanced between him and Rey. "You sure about that?"
Ben glowered at the commander, but didn't contradict him.
"Stop playing with him, Poe," Rey said sleepily. "Ben's staying."
A dozen emotions flew across Ben's wane face at her words, the most prominent of which was fear.
"You are staying, right?" she said, suddenly more alert. "Ben?"
"I…yes, I'm staying," he promised at last.
"Well, there you have it!" Rose linked her arms through Finn and Poe's. "Come on, laserbrains, we need to get the Captain's quarters ready for Rey—Poe don't give me that look—so she has somewhere quiet to recover." Rose turned to Ben. "Carry her to the Falcon, will you? I want to make sure nothing's broken."
"Yes, ma'am," he answered automatically.
"Ma'am, huh?" Rose whistled, dragging the boys with her. "I think I like him already."
Once they were alone, Rey ran her fingertips over the scar adorning his pale cheek. "Are you really here? Or am I dreaming?"
"I'm here," Ben confirmed, melting into her touch. "I had to set you down for a moment to explain what happened to your friends and they could see me even then."
"And they didn't try to attack you?"
"No, they did," he smirked, "but none of them are Force-sensitive, so it wasn't really a fair fight."
"Ben, what'd you do?!"
"Nothing," he assured her. "Just locked them in place so that I could explain myself."
"And the crystal?"
"I grabbed it for you."
"Thank you, Ben." Rey twirled a silky lock of his dark hair around her finger, overcome with emotion. "How is this possible?" she wondered.
"I don't know."
"Maybe I could be of some assistance?" Luke said, materializing close by.
"Uncle," Ben acknowledged stonily.
"Nephew," Luke smiled slightly. "You look like hell."
"So do you, old man," Ben replied without heat.
"Rey has a way of keeping me on my toes, even in this form."
"I know what you mean."
"Have we finally found some common ground, then?" Luke said hopefully.
Ben's shoulders slumped as if a great weight had been lifted off them. "I suppose we have." He indicated for Luke to join them.
The legendary Jedi Master sat cross-legged across from them, his ghostly figure making no impact on the dusty ground. "I believe your bond is responsible for this miracle. When Ben felt the danger you were courting, he immediately projected himself to your location. But unlike previous connections, he was driven by the desire to protect you more than mere curiosity."
"Does that make a difference?" Rey asked.
"Yes. As with anything, intention is everything," Luke said sagely. "Courage, fear, love, hate…the feelings behind your actions always matter. And when a Force-user feels something powerfully enough, anything is possible."
"So the fact that he's here now, in the flesh…" Rey looked at Ben with her heart in her eyes.
"It means that I love you," Ben whispered.
"Even after all this time?"
"Yes," he admitted, as awed by the revelation as Rey.
"You balance each other, and by extension the Force, I can see that now," Luke said wistfully. "The two of you, together, united…you can bring the galaxy back from the brink."
"Is that so?" Rey pressed her forehead to her equal's. "What do you say, Ben? Want to save the galaxy with me?"
“Not really, no.” He chuckled when she slapped his arm again. “Truth be told, I’d rather run away with you than fight any more battles, but I have a feeling you’ll be able to talk me into it.”
And she did.
Five years later…
"Rey, we can't go in there…"
"Why not?"
"Because we've been in several times already and promised to let Finn and Rose figure it out," Ben said simply.
"What if they need our help?" Rey said worriedly.
"They don't," he assured her.
"How do you know?" she frowned. "Rose is really small; she could get hurt."
"Is she? It's hard to tell whenever she starts waving that vicious stun baton around," he laughed. "Trust me, sweetheart, Rose has got this handled."
"Well, what about Finn?"
"He fought me and survived," Ben reminded her, tone tinted with respect, "so I think he can handle giving Grey a bath."
"But, still…" she said, wincing in discomfort.
Feeling the twinge through their bond, Ben lifted a wide palm to massage the back of his wife's neck. "Rey, if we're ever going to take that honeymoon, we need to give our friends the benefit of the doubt during this trial run. If we can't trust them to watch our son for two days, I don't really see how we could leave him for two weeks."
"I know, you're right," Rey sighed, leaning into his touch, "I'm just being ridiculous."
"You're not being ridiculous," he chided, curling his free arm around her slim waist. "We're both novices here, okay? We'll figure it out together. All of us."
"Alright," she conceded, turning in his hold and pressing her cheek against his heart. "I love you, Ben."
"I love you too," he returned, staring bemusedly at the closed door behind her; Finn and Rose had started speaking in the silliest of baby voices. "Besides, what are the odds that Grey figures out how to tap into the Force while we're gone anyway?"
"Oh, Ben!" Rey stiffened. "I hadn't even thought of—Mmm!"
Anticipating her reaction, Ben captured her lips in a searing kiss. Don't think, just feel.
Rey sank into his warm embrace without protest. No fair, she groaned, merging her mind with his, allowing his unwavering belief in their family to relieve her baseless fears and bring balance to her errant emotions. But don't you dare stop.
Never, sweetheart.
Light. Darkness. A balance. The Force hummed contentedly between them, knowing that the future of the galaxy had been secured at last.
-FIN-
A/N: I wanted to tap into that period of time in your early 20s where everyone around you keeps treating you like a kid despite the fact that you're legally an adult. As a result, Rey ended up kinda moody in the beginning of this fic XD But I'm satisfied when how it turned out! Please review!