Chapter 65.

Her dreams moved fast.

So fast in fact, that even asleep, she began to feel dizzy.

Intense, yellow eyes flashed through her mind, studying her movements, smirking at her thoughts and desires...

She tried so hard to get by, to move past the judgmental, beady eyes that watched her from a far. No matter which way she turned, no matter how fast she truly moved, it was never enough.

Eventually she was caught, a strong, firm hand sliding around her throat, making her heartbeat quicken it's already too-fast paced.

Her own eyes widened as she looked upon the dark figure that caught her, dressed in black robes and the sunken purple colors surrounding those yellow eyes...

She was being hunted...It only just dawned on her...

And now she was caught.

( x )

With a jolt, Rey woke up still curled into a ball on the opposite side of the prison cell where Ben lay, studying the ceiling. It took Rey a few blinks and a hard gulp to shake her thoughts of the odd dream, that felt too much like reality.

Inhaling sharply, Rey sat up and rolled her neck around to ease her aches as she felt Ben's force slowly prod her, a tentative hand asking for permission to seek her thoughts.

The notion made her chuckle.

"Thank you for not intruding..."

From the corner of her eye, Rey saw him glance to her, his head pillowed on his arms as he lay on his back. His black hair sat messy around his head, and Rey was just about to lay back down to play with a lock of it before realizing how late it had gotten.

"Can't say I didn't try... Your block was up while you slept." Ben told her with his tone low but curious.

That fact made Rey's ears perk up, slightly surprised though thankful at her block. The dream, however, still plagued her mind, the image of seeing that pale creature with those eyes that were always followed by the harshest stories back home...

She hated it.

"I'm fine. Really." Rey tried to cover up, turning to meet his eyes and giving him a small smile of reassurance.

Ben sat up with ease, his eyes scanning her features, accusations already filling his tongue though he never spoke to her verbally.

Glancing away from guilt, Rey gathered her pillow and shoved it through the bars to him, in case he required extra comfort.

His eyes never left her face as she moved, and before she got to her feet, Rey reached a small, fragile hand towards his face, cupping his cheek and savoring his warmth.

"Everything is fine. Truly, it was only a dream. It was almost like the times in the cave, back on Ach-To... The force was just so... vivid."

Ben showed little relief, though his eyes did seem to shave a layer of the intense worry he previously showed.

Rey cast a quick glance to the doorway, relieved to see it still empty. With a sigh, she stood back to her full height, stretching her limbs as she began to feel bad for leaving Ben by himself.

Ben rose, silently watching her and dreading the fact that she had to leave. He hated to feel so ... clingy. The word itself left a bad taste in his mouth as he rolled his eyes.

Easily feeling his embarrassment and a small sense of overwhelming anxiety, Rey's thumb moved to brush his cheek in comfort.

"You'll still feel me through the bond. I'll be checking on you. I just need to see what our next step is."

With a clenched jaw, Ben nodded, still silent even when he watched her go.

( x )

The base was extremely quiet when everyone slept. It almost made Rey more comfortable as she made her way back to her bunk, aware that any sound would raise alarm be it from her or something else.

The day's events began to weigh on Rey's shoulders, her legs becoming sluggish as she walked, eyelids heavy with the ache for sleep.

Even through the tiredness though, she felt accomplished and satisfied.

Ben was home, and so was she.

( x )

It was only a few hours later by the time the rest of the base woke up, scurrying off to make preparations for the closing of this war. Determination filled the air, so much so that Rey began to feel overwhelmed with their thoughts and high emotions.

Every person here was desperate for this end, just as much as he was.

Sleep did not come easy for her the rest of the night after leaving Ben's side, and a part of her regrets leaving in the first place.

But, for the comfort of the base, she decided to leave, only to toss and turn in her own bunk for hours before getting up to grab some caff and a biscuit.

She was just about to grab another to sneak to Ben, when Rey felt a quick wave of urgency through the force that enarly made her drop her cup. Turning quickly, Rey nearly bumped into Rose, who was standing right behind her with a worried look on her face, hand raised mid air to tap Rey's shoulder.

"Rey!" Rose gasped, startled. "Sorry, I didn't mean to sneak up on you! But-"

"What is it?" Rey demanded, her mind already working the room to pinpoint what was going on. Behind Rose, several Resistance members were already getting up from their tables and moving to the conference room in a hurry.

"It's Hux, he's issuing a live warning across the stars."

Not needing to hear another word, Rey quickly moved past Rose and ran to their main headquarters.

( x )

He couldn't tell what he was more annoyed at.

A random fly continued buzzing around the room, occasionally stopping on the bars of the cell to add to Ben's annoyance before quickly flying away.

After Rey left, the previous guard returned to his stance near the entrance, his gaze still hazy from the mind trick Rey put him in the past night. Every now and then, Ben caught the man glancing around, his face full of confusion as the guard tried to make sense of the few events before he'd shake his thoughts away and get back to the task at hand; making sure Ben stayed put.

The constant babysitting was irritating to Ben, and even more so that Rey was nowhere to be seen. With a huff, Ben rolled his eyes as he stayed in place, laying on the cold ground still and his cuffed hands pillowing his head.

For a moment, his mind began to drift from the boredom and irritation onto the previous day's events.

He had expected to be immediately executed had he ever made the decision to join his mother's cause, not that he didn't deserve it... but he expected it for sure. The fact that he was still living and breathing surprised him only a little, knowing that Rey was the one that would protect him...

Which a fact, in itself, shocked him more.

He had never been one to depend on anybody, nor put his trust or life in anyone's hands... But she was his, and he was hers. No one knew him like she did, and no one knew her like he did.