Chapter Twenty Two: Crystal

Disclaimer: I own nothing here. This party's over.

AN: A few things in this chapter were inspired by Avatar:TLA, a series that I've always thought shared a lot of spiritual similarities with Star Wars, especially so with the new trilogy and how Rey and Ben are depicted as Yin and Yang. Anyway, enjoy!

Ben didn't take Rey for a heavy sleeper, yet she barely even twitched to mutter an unintelligible word when he gathered her up in his arms. He stood up from their shared nest in the recliner and she still didn't wake up. In the end, he simply attributed her exhaustion to the mission, the drugs in her system and... her condition.

He had to admit, if only to himself, that he still had a lot to learn about women. And although he was well aware of the mechanics of procreation from his general education as a teenager, he was not however cognizant of all the woes the female body seemed to be plagued with on a consistent basis.

He tried not to dwell on the matter too long though, as he felt that his new enlightenment on the subject was more of a burden than an advantage. Although in light of the knowledge and having experienced Rey's pain firsthand, he found himself treating her a little more reverently.

Crossing the short distance to his bed, Ben carefully settled her smaller frame there and proceeded to pull the covers over her shoulders when she began to stir slightly.

"Ben?" she questioned groggily, her hazel slits flashing blue in the room's dim, white lighting. "Where-?" She gave his bed a squinting scrutiny as he shushed her.

"You're safe. Go back to sleep." He leaned over and placed a tender kiss on her head before he stepped back.

"What about you?" She sounded disappointed and even seemed annoyed to suddenly be without his warmth.

"I have more work to do," he told her quietly, smirking complacently as he crossed over to his workbench. "I'll join you later, though."

"Typical," Rey grumbled as she appeared to curl into a ball under the chill of the sheets. way

Ben chuckled lightly at her projected thoughts but made no reply, hoping she would fall asleep again before he needed to retrieve a certain item from her room. He sat down at the bench, flipped on a light and started assembling various tiny parts and components together.

It was probably an hour later when he finished his project as much as possible without the main piece. He checked on Rey's awareness and found her mind distant and dreaming. Confident that she probably wouldn't be waking again anytime soon, Ben crossed over to her room and entered to find her knapsack on the floor. After procuring the cracked, blue kyber crystal he placed the bag where he found it and returned to his station.

Unfortunately, the sound of her door hissing closed behind him alerted Rey enough that she began shifting under the covers and eventually got up with a fit of grumbling to head for the fresher.

That was fine. From his observations over the past few hours, she would be in there awhile, which gave him plenty of time to install the crystal into his newly built device.

It was obvious that his grandfather's lightsaber crystal would never again support a weapon, however it could still serve an purpose, even if half of that purpose was ornamental.

It had occurred to him that decisive action was required on his part, specifically during their mission, in the bar, when Rey's thoughts had seeped into his mind concerning their unspoken, unnamed relationship. He would admit that it was unclear when exactly they had shifted from prisoner and captor to roommates, then to companions, then to whatever they were now. It suddenly seemed so complicated and he had a strong desire to simplify it for the both of them.

By the time Rey exited the fresher, Ben stood with the small device in his hand, ready for her approach and her curious inspection of his new project. Before she could inquire vocally he offered it to her, his hand cupped around the trinket. It was little more than a transparent housing for the blue crystal with two tiny power couplings capping it on either side, both ends bound to a silver chain that dangled from his palm.

"What is-?" Rey gaped at the device for a moment, her mind no doubt still sluggish from sleep. "That's my- That's Luke's crystal."

"My grandfather's, actually," Ben corrected, though he figured she knew that already and probably referred to it as Luke's for simplicity's sake. "But, it's yours now. Take it."

"But," Rey hesitated, her hand halfway reaching out for it. "What did you do to it?"

"I gave it a new purpose. Consider it a gift if you need to."

Tentatively, she grasped the crystal necklace out of his palm and turned it over in her hands, her gaze shifting from it, to him, and back again. "Ben... What does this mean?"

He smirked mischievously as he inched a little closer to her. "What do you it to mean?"

"Ugh!" Rey growled and thumped his chest with a fist in aggravation. "Will you just give me a straight answer for once?"

Ben let out a barely audible, rare laugh. "It's a bomb."

"A ?" Rey nearly screeched as she held it out as far as her arm would stretch, as if it held a foul stench. "And you want me to ? Around my ?"

Ben shrugged with a slight frown. "Most people where bombs on their belts. What's the difference? If it goes off, you die just the same."

"I suppose you're right..."

"Besides, I rigged the detonator's trigger the device, so you'll have to activated it with the Force." He made a quick, dismissive gesture. "It's perfectly safe until you should need to use it."

"Leave it to you to give me something practical for an engagement gift." She smiled up at him perceptively and closed the small gap between them.

"Is what you want it to be?" he asked, feigning a clever ignorance as his arms loosely encircled her middle.

"Don't mock me, Solo, or I'll make wear the pretty bomb." With a unique authority all her own, Rey reached up to curl her free hand around his nape and eased his mouth down to hers. He bent willingly to receive her, relishing the feel of her lips and her electric touch as she weaved her fingers through his mane. They parted briefly, their eyes mating in a silent, prolonged and profound agreement; a promise.

They kissed again, tasting each other more intimately than anytime before, as if to seal their silent pledge. Ben's voice was raw with longing when they finally parted, his gaze roving over her with a new hunger. "You're mine now."

"Ben," Rey sighed out in exasperation and turned her head with a frown. "We've been this... You don't me and you never will."

"That's not what I mean," he replied and took gentle hold of her free hand to kiss her wrist affectionately. "I'll have the privilege of sharing things with you that I'll share with no one else. The privilege of protecting you best, knowing you best, you best." He twined his fingers with hers and sent her the softest expression he could manage. "In way, you're mine."

"That's... a remarkable way to put it," Rey replied with an astonished look before she sent him a knowing, proud smile. "You're learning."

"I a fast learner." He smirked and leaned toward her again, hoping to get another taste of her when she put a screeching halt to his intentions with a hand to his chest. He frowned with a deep disappointment when he met her apologetic expression.