Archive of Our Own

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Somewhere, along the way, it had all gone wrong. Maybe it was Leia Organa’s death, or Hux’s inevitable betrayal, maybe it was the fact that Rey refused to go to him when he was full of blind rage. Whatever connection she’d thought she’d made with Ben Solo had been lost, and along with it, everything Rey had ever cared about. Surrounded by dust and rocks, Rey stood quietly on a dusty old mining planet named Lothal. Her once white clothing filthy, ragged, burned, torn. Beside her, the last friend she had, his blue and white dome as filthy as herself, covered in the dust of the grassland planet they were on. Her hand outstretched and a huge spire of rock lifted from the flat ground, the ground shaking and cracking as she did so. An old friend had told her of this place before she’d sent Rey away. Tokanda had been blasted to pieces by the newly created Guardian-Class Star Destroyer. Big enough to pull ships out of hyperspace and with enough guns to destroy a planet, the darling of Emperor Ren’s new fleet held a name that even Rey couldn’t flinch without speaking. Snoke’s Revenge. She felt the force well around her as she lifted the rock high into the air and paused, staring. There was a strange image before her. A tall gray-haired man between two shorter (if only slightly) people. On the left was a stunning white-haired woman with a beautiful bird on her arm, her hand flat. The tall man’s hand was up and straight, and on the right was an angry dark-clad man with his hand in a fist. A soft tweet from the droid next to her had the dark-haired woman glancing at him. “I don’t know Artoo. But I’ll figure it out.” She spoke softly before stepping closer to look at it. The force was powerful here and her focus was on the wall before her, not on anything else, like the distant sound of thunder, or the feeling of something dark coming her direction. She was drawn to the beautiful artwork. She couldn’t read what was written, but something drew her to raise her hand out again and shift the circles, all spreading out and even. Suddenly the wolves that sat on the edge of the beautiful image raced around the edge of the rock and she shouted, chasing after them, not even surprised by the sudden movements. The force was strange, and she’d never had any formal training. Artoo followed behind as she came to a stop in front of a strange large oval of wolves racing in the same direction before coming to a stop. Her hand reached out and she touched the beautiful rock her hand starting to sink in. She gasped and stepped back. Artoo beeped out a worried warning and she turned in time to see the pointed shadow moving towards her. Her gaze swept up to the huge ship entering orbit. He was here. She looks down at Artoo, dropping a scarred hand on his dome. He tweeted a defiant string of curses and she found herself smiling. “This is our last chance, Artoo. If I…” she gulped back the tears as she crouched down next to him, hands on either side of his dome. The droid beeps at her and she finds herself crying, not for the first time in the last few weeks. “I love you too.” She whispers. Her gaze snapped to the last thing that was hers. The Millenium Falcon had seen better days. She’d barely landed it before it had sagged into the dirt of Lothal. Scorch marks along its sides and the completely shattered left point showed how much damage had been done to the ship in the last little while. “I’m sorry.” She whispered as she stood up, the scarred hand becoming a fist as she shifted the long staff on her back. The droid tweeted something at her as she stepped forward. She turned around. “See you around, Artoo. Don’t wait up.” It had become a ritual between herself and her last family member. The droid returned the response and she swung around and stepped through the portal. Fearless, as always.
Deep night with pinpricks of stars.
That was her first thought as she stepped into the beautiful space. She could hear voices almost as soon as she stepped inside. Some she recognized, most she did not. The familiar voice from her first real vision slipped through her ears and for a second the name finally came to her mind. Obi-wan Kenobi had told her that the saber she’d picked up was her first steps. She stared at the white lines and strange oval things around her. “Portals, between worlds.” She murmured to herself as she turned back towards her own, the blackness not showing her anything. It made her wonder if Artoo would be alright. She’d had to leave him behind, she didn’t know if someone not force sensitive could even get through. She doubted it. This had been only something hinted at in her books, locked away on the Falcon. That there was a possibility of seeing all of time and space in one place. She was here. Her steps carried her away from the portal and forward. She was looking for help. She felt safe. Why Rey wasn’t sure, but this place was calm. Even with the voices still swirling around her, wisdoms she could or couldn’t hear, in languages both to be invented to long dead, as well as ones she knew, the force was in balance here. The last time she’d felt this calm was three years before. She’d stood back to back with a man she’d thought was her destiny. They’d fought and won and then it had all fallen apart. Every choice she’d made since then had just been wrong, and there was no going back. Or… maybe there was. She stopped before a portal and stared, her gaze watching as the couple stared at one another, the strange crackling of something new between them before spinning to meet their enemy. She felt the first tear, but she refused to cry and wiped it away with one of her sleeves. She turned away from the portal and continued. Along the way she saw each of her choices, the ones that were right and the ones that were wrong. The lives lost. She saw his as well, the fallen boy, the lonely man, the sith lord. Somewhere along the way he’d managed to finally crush Ben Solo into nothing.
Naboo was nothing but rocks and ash anymore.
She forced herself to move on, walking and walking. Where to she had no idea. She was looking for help, for… anything. A sound dragged her towards another portal and she paused as a young man, maybe her age, sat in a warmly lit room, strange chairs in a circle. His hair was golden and bright in the dying sunlight, and he looked worried, tense like he was trying to make a decision. His eyes are as blue as the Ach-To ocean and she finds herself studying them, casually noting the scar down the side of his right eye and cheek. She wonders if it was a lightsaber that made that. Even if the man has made himself so small she can tell he’s large, as large as Ben. She stared at him, watching him. This wasn’t anything she’d lived through. What was this?A hand slips out from his brown robe and runs through his already tousled hair and a soft sigh slips from his lips, his hooded eyes flicking up. Everything froze as his gaze met hers, and held. She had no idea what he saw, but he was staring at her like he was seeing a ghost.
He could see her.He came to his feet with a movement almost too quick to catch, his saber in hand. She stared at the silver and black cylinder, recognition finally hitting her. Her hand went unconsciously towards the saber on her back, the long black staff having been shifted into something even more deadly. She didn’t pull it out, though, amazement still all over her face. “Who are you? How did you get in here?” The man’s voice was muffled, but she snapped her gaze from the saber in his hand to his face, his blue eyes hooded and angry. Not unlike Luke really. It was a strange almost mirror she was staring at. He became more agitated though, and he brought his saber up and she quickly raised her hands, a gesture taught to her by Finn to appease soldiers. He stood like one, stance just wide enough to fight from, and shoulders set square even as he shifted back a little. “What. Are. You?” He growled out the words and all Rey could think was that Ben was so damn similar. She took a step forward and through the portal. The warmth of the room hit her and she stared up at him as she realized he hadn’t expected that. The saber turned the warm colors of the room colder with its familiar blue light. She flinched at the all to familiar sound. “Wait! I’m not here to hurt you… or anyone…” She stayed still as he raised the blade up towards her. Her head rose a little, forcing her chin up, and she felt defiance fill her as it always did when she was in danger. She was too violent for her own good sometimes, to quick to respond to a threat. She itched to grab the saber on her back. “Then why are you here? What is that?” He motioned past her with the humming blade and she turned her head to see the faded lines of the portal she’d stepped through. His voice was cautiously angry but she could feel deeper emotions swirling around her from him. It was something she didn’t even think about, reading emotions. She stared at the portal a second longer before swinging her gaze back to him. “I don’t know… what that is. I’m Rey… I’m here… looking for help.” If this was who she thought it was, maybe she had found a different way to fix her problems, fix the galaxies problems. She’d set out to save it, and made all the wrong decisions it seemed. Her gaze held his and she felt the telltale signs of someone trying to enter her mind. Her first response was to throw up every defence she had, panic filling her for a second. It had felt just like Ben the first time he’d interrogated her. Except this was gentler, as if asking not forcing, and as soon as her shields had snapped into place the feeling left and he stared at her, taking her in.
Suddenly, for the second time in her life, Rey felt shy. She knew what he would see. A too thin woman, ragged once-white robes tattered and burned, a useless scarred hand, a long black staff on her back, a blaster on her hip, battle-scarred boots and hair cut by a blade, ragged and out of the way. Tired hazel eyes, and a mottling scar across her lower face, from right to left, coming up from under her collar, matching the scarred hand. War had taken everything from her. She’d given everything to save the galaxy and she’d failed. She dropped her gaze to his boots, seeing that they were as scuffed as hers were. A warrior, not unlike her. “Are you a Jedi?” Rey’s gaze snapped back to his, head lifting a little defiantly. She wasn’t afraid of her answer. “No. Where I’m from there are no Jedi. I just use the force.” She answered back, defiance in her tone, her stance shifting a little, shoulders squaring up a little, the useless hand becoming a fist, the only thing it could do anymore. “No Jedi? Are you from Wild Space?” He seemed genuinely curious and stared at her as if she was a puzzle to unravel. It made her miss the Ben she’d only gotten a glimpse of. She shook her head. “I’m from Jakku. Distant mid-rim.” She shifted back a little, wondering if she was right. “Are… are you Anakin Skywalker?” Her gaze dropped back to his saber. It looked normal sized in his hands. In her’s, it had always felt so large. While the crystal had called to her, but the size of the saber had always felt a little out of sorts, built for someone taller and bigger than her in general. Now she knew who. “I… I am. Why? How do you know me? I’ve never met you.” His tone was calmer, but she could feel his wary emotions grow tight. She shook her head, hands raising back up a bit in quick submission. “We’ve never met, I… only know stories of you…” She glanced back at the portal. “I… I need your help… or rather you need mine.” He frowned deeply at her and she returned it.“Why would I need your help?” His head tilted to the side and Rey found that to be strangely attractive. She wondered what his hair would feel like in her hand. Which was a terrible thing to think, she had a galaxy to save. “Something you do… destroys the galaxy… I… come from a time when there is no Republic, no Jedi, just…” She shivered, and couldn’t continue, her gaze dropping from his face to her feet, her un-scarred hand moving to wrap around her other arm, a self-comforting gesture she’d had since she was a young child alone on a desert world. “Pain… and suffering.” She managed to get those words out as she felt him move closer. She went very still, suddenly terrified of her own show of weakness. “Something I do? What are you talking about?” Suddenly his hands were on her shoulders, and her head snapped up to glare at him, teeth bared as she moved almost too quickly for him to react, hands and wrists moving to get his hands off of her and push him away even as she moved around him, towards a window, where, for a second, she viewed an expanse of buildings and moving vehicles. If she wasn’t so terrified she’d have stopped and gaped but she was raising her hands up in a defensive gesture, her bad arm an obvious weak spot but she wasn’t really wanting to hurt him. “Woh! Didn’t mean to… you are tense aren’t you?” She frowned as he raised his hands up now, obviously trying to placate her. She dropped her hands. “I’m… not good… with touch.” She hadn’t realized she was gasping for breath, panic making her feel lightheaded now. Dammit. She knew she wasn’t well, too long on the run with no time to rest, so stressed she barely slept anymore. She closed her eyes and tried to calm her breathing, deep simple breaths. The man waited for her to calm down, which she was grateful for. “Care to explain yourself?” His voice was annoyed as he crossed his arms, obviously doing something similar to what she’d done only moments before. She nodded. “I… I don’t know much. I know enough to know there was a choice you made that set… everything off in the wrong direction. The force… obviously brought me here.” She looked at the portal he was standing in front of, framed by the faded white lines. “I can show you.” She took a step towards him and he frowned, obviously confused. “Where I came from, I can show you.” She was rushing past him suddenly, almost sure this could help. He caught her before she could get to far, the sound of servos catching her attention as his hand landed on her shoulder. “No. I need more than that. You could be lying to me.” His voice was strange and she turned towards him to see real worry and fear in his eyes. There was something there she wanted to prove herself to. Great. Just what she needed. Why did none of the damn Skywalkers ever believe her? She wasn’t a damn liar, she just… needed help needed to do the right thing. This could save everything!“I’m not.” Her voice was fierce and her teeth showed as she snarled the words. “I promise I’m not a dark side vision, I’m just… trying to save the galaxy, and this is my last chance… I can’t keep running and you are my last chance to fix this, fix all of this.” She reached up to grasp at the strange glove he wore trying to take his hand off of her. His grip grew tighter and for a moment Rey wondered if she was going to regret walking through the portal. There was a darkness inside of this man that terrified her, as much as the darkness inside Ben had. “Prove it. Prove you are who you say you are.” There was a darkness in his tone that had the back of her neck prickling. She had to be careful, this man was unstable. How she knew that she had no idea, but she’d long ago given up on trying to understand what the force told her. There was a chance she could tip this man in the wrong direction. In a moment of compassion she shifted so she faced him and half closed her eyes, before lowering her shields, letting her defenses down. She couldn’t see his face, her focus on keeping herself calm, as she felt the strange other mind brush against hers, finding no resistance and then suddenly she was pulled, gentler than when Ben had done it, into her memories. None of them were in order. Her life was on parade for his perusing.Snippets of a Poe’s laughter, or a flash of Finn’s smile filled her mind. The seat of the Falcon against her back and the feel of controls under her fingers as she swung through a battlefield, the sound of her guns firing. A flash of a deep ocean and a small island. A pair of blue eyes. Skywalker. A scream of a young child, begging her parents to come back, lines on a wall, a tall creature in a mask, chasing her through a forest. Twin blades swirling in protection of each other, one red, one blue. A dark-eyed older woman with a gentle smile caressing Rey’s face before the force tensed around her and the woman’s hand fell. Standing on top of a huge white structure staring down at the yellow dunes. Barely escaping a white and red planet, the taste of defeat in her mouth. The first time she ate fish on a watery island. A cheeky round grin from a shorter woman with a spanner in hand and a drab jumpsuit. The scream of loss as Connix dies by the dark clad man and his angry red saber. A familiar blue saber in her hands, swinging through a rock, the hilt to big for her, but the crystal and herself singing in the force, perfectly aligned. The scream of a kyber crystal pulled in disharmony. Pain as she catches a bolt of lightning meant for a small orange woman with strange glasses. The searing pain of that same lightning arcing through her arm and up through her face, before she managed to reverse it and throw it back at it’s maker, a wild scream accompanying it. Holding onto a huge furry beast as her friend faded from life, blood staining her fingers. The force twisting and tightening as one after another of her friends, her family, faded, hunted by the once masked creature. A small girl standing in a burning desert, a small flower in her hand as she stood next to a metal beast, fallen on its side. The smell of grease and oil in her nose as she was half jammed into a starfighter, fixing whatever was wrong with it.How she’d ended up crying on the floor strong arms wrapped around her and a near constant litany of I’m sorry and It’s alright in her ears, Rey had no idea. She started to pull away as she felt the man stiffen a little, and then release. “I’m so sorry Rey. I wouldn’t have pushed if I knew.” His voice was soft, worried, contrite. She reached up and wiped away her tears. There was no time for them, not anymore. “I should have trusted you.” He added softly. She shook her head. “No reason to.” She spoke gently, as she got one knee under her and pushed up, coming to her feet, his hand still on her arm as he rose with her. She turned away from him, facing the warmth of the sun, gaze distant as she moved towards the windows. She wasn’t even sure what all he’d seen, but there was concern coming off of him in waves and she ignored them, pulling herself together. She had to convince him. “I believe you if that’s any help, Rey.” She turned towards him a little, the sun backlighting her, though she didn’t notice. Her tears were gone, and she seemed calmer, she felt calmer. She nodded. “Come with me. I… I think you need to see something else.” She was suddenly full of determination and purpose. She had to save the Galaxy, and if she could save this strange man while at it, then all the better. Her steps carried her past him easily before stepping through the portal. He followed, seemingly in her wake. She stopped for a moment, eyes closing as she tapped into the force around her, searching for that tug that had lead her to him. “What is this place. Where is this place?” His voice made her smile a little. “Dunno. I think it’s called the World Between Worlds, but I really have no idea.” Her voice was calm as she suddenly set off. With quick steps she was following that tug of the force. Having no formal training could be of use sometimes. She was intuitive and had always been. Hurried steps carried him after her, and she heard the heavy footfalls around the sound of heavy mechanical breathing she was following. She came to a stop before a portal and looked through it. A mask almost as terrifying as her enemy's peered back at her. Or she imagined it did. The tall being before her in the portal was facing towards her, but the deep red lenses made the thing look dead, mechanical. Skywalker stepped up next to her and froze, and Rey looked away, turning with her gaze, the thing scaring her more than Kylo Ren ever could. She knew, in an instant who it was, what it was. Darth Vader. The being who had started it all.She stepped away from Anakin as she felt a heat, a wild hatred and rage coming towards them. She unhooked her lightsaber, the long staff coming to life, as short green blades sprang to life. She shifted, her stance wide, powerful, knees bent. The sound of the blade’s humming soothing even as she stretched her hearing, listening for something terrifying. How long she stood there, Rey wasn’t sure. She had felt herself slip into a meditative state, holding her saber out and behind her, the humming soothing. A strange peace fell over her as she came out of it, movement behind her drawing her out of her meditation. This was it. Everything in her life was centered on what was to come. Whatever choices the man behind her made, she’d given him all the facts, all the knowledge. She was at peace with what was to come. “No.” His voice was rough with what she assumed was emotion. “I won’t let you die for my mistakes.” She glanced sideways as he stepped up beside her. She smiled sadly at him, for the first time in a long time feeling stronger, as if she’d found something inside of her that could withstand the oncoming storm. Something she’d lost. A will to do what was needed. Sacrifice. Her life had lead to this point. “It’s not your choice, Skywalker. I knew what I was getting myself into.” Her tone was peaceful and he stared at her. There was a strange recognition in his gaze, and she watched him with a careful gaze. “You think you’re going to die.” There was no question, just a statement. Her smile was still sad, but it grew a little bigger. “I’ve felt it for a long time. Darkness rises and the light to meet it.” Her gaze snapped away from him as the first sound of the angry saber hit her ears. His gaze followed hers. “You should leave, Skywalker. You have things to do. I’ll hold him off long enough for you to get home. Go save your family, they need you.” She walked forward and past him, up the opposite road from where he would need to go. Her steps were light. She could face her end with dignity and faith in the force. It was her destiny, it seemed. She’d always known he was her destiny, and that he would be there at her death, but realizing that Kylo Ren would be the reason for her death was painful. It lanced at her heart even as she let it fade into the force, finding peace in her end, as she moved to protect the last chance the galaxy had for real peace. “I’m not leaving you to die alone.” There was stubborn anger in his voice and she ignored it, shifting so her saber was between her and the coming Sith, her other hand reaching out to block the golden-haired man’s path. The force slammed into him and held him. “No!” He struggled against the wall, realizing he could back up, but couldn’t get to her. “Let me help you!”“Not this time, Skywalker.” There was a joke in there, as her smile showed but her focus turned from the wall to the now visible sith. “You. I have you now Scavenger, nowhere to go.” The voice was snarled, and deep. Deeper than Anakin’s. There was no question this broad man could easily kill Rey. She stared back, not speaking. His gaze snapped to the angry man behind her, locked behind a wall made of her will. “What do we have here?” He asked curiously, his yellow eyes gazing at the other man. “You found someone else to help you? I’ll kill them too, you know that. I can take whatever I want.” “I know.” Her voice was soft as she spoke, ignoring the man behind her, and his desperation to help. “Get away from her!” The snarled words had both of them turning a little towards Anakin, who had dropped his robe and stood, saber lit, just far enough away to not be a nuisance. Ren laughed, as he shifted his saber in his hand, the warm quillons almost touching the black leather of his gloves. He wore no cloak, but his well fitted armor made him look even bigger than he was. A soft golden circlet sat on long black locks. Yellow eyes flicked from Anakin to Rey, amusement on his soft lips. “And who are you, to command the Emperor of the Galaxy?” His voice was calm, even as his saber shifted to be better between himself and Rey, who still stood quietly, both hands on her long staff, the scarred and melted hand tightened around it. She suddenly stirred when he spoke. “He’s no one, Ben.”
“Anakin. My name is Anakin Skywalker.” Rey winced as Anakin’s voice was louder than her own. The man before her’s eyes went wide and a dark smile slipped onto his lips. There was a gentleness in his next words. “Oh Rey, if I had known you’d bring me such a gift… I’d have brought you something so much better.” Something clattered to the ground in front of her and she flinched away, the all to familiar dome of Artoo came to a stop at her feet. Tears sprang to her eyes but she stayed resolutely where she was. Then suddenly the dark Sith was past her, and she realized he’d held her still, as he stalked forward, to look at the man behind her wall. “Grandfather, it’s so lovely to see you in person and not in holos.” There was a breathless quality to his voice and Rey wanted to turn around to see, but couldn’t move. “I have finished what you started, Grandfather, don’t you think that’s… wonderful?” There was a taunting tone as if he didn’t care either way. Rey was sure he didn't. He’d since long surpassed Vader. “Why don’t you join me, we can rule the Galaxy together. This… creature has told you only lies, I promise you.” The inelegant snort from the other man-made Rey smile a little. “I doubt that, kid.” Anakin’s voice was sharp and quick and she could feel his anger that she was still holding him back. “Rey drop the wall, I can handle a sith.” His voice was deadly, and she shivered but refused to do what he asked, putting even more of her attention and strength into the wall. “Leave, Anakin, please. I can handl-” She begged, though it was hard to speak through the clamp Ren had on her. And then her voice cut off completely as he lifted her up by her throat. “Shush, cunt, the adults are talking.” The long saberstaff fell from her grasp as she clutched at her throat, her feet scrambling for purchase. She lost her focus and she heard heavy footfalls as the scream of lightsabers swinging hit her ears. She collapsed to the ground as a war cry hit her ears. It took a second for her lungs to fill, for her brain to gain back the oxygen it had lost before she was calling her saber to her and leaping to her feet.She spun to see Anakin and Kylo with their sabers locked together, Rey realized her worst nightmare was oncoming. If Anakin died everything would unravel. She had to save him. With a violent scream, she reached out and forced them apart, before launching herself at the dark haired man, getting herself between Anakin and Ren. Her blades were short but she moved quickly, keeping the larger of the two men occupied, she threw up another wall and she heard the frustrated roar as Anakin ran into it. This wasn’t his fight, it was hers. A deadly dance could only end one way. Rey had seen a destiny that ended with Ben Solo and Kylo Ren had seen a Destiny that ended with Rey. Her saber sliced through his side and gut just as his stabbed through her stomach. The pain was white hot and she nearly passed out from it, but with a primal scream she ripped her saber up, slicing up through Ren’s body, and he fell back, his saber finally sputtering out. She collapsed forward, her staff falling from her fingers. His fingers brushed against hers and she stared, as the last of his life seeped into the force, quietly. Just before his gaze went dark it faded from yellow to the soft brown she’d started to fall for all that time ago. She was alone. That feeling filled her with such a deep sorrow. Everyone was gone. Everyone she’d ever loved, ever thought she’d cared about, everyone she’d depended on, or had depended on her, dead. She was alone and she was dying. Fitting, really. Her entire life she’d been alone, why should her death be any different? It was growing cold, as she stared at the stars that surrounded the dark hair of her nemesis. She’d always liked space. Beautiful, and expansive and full of so much promise.A warmth wrapped around her and she was jolted from the distant thoughts of stars by someone calling out her name, begging her to stay. Her head turned and she was oddly close to the other one here. Who… Anakin Skywalker. She stared up at him in slight wonder. A legend. She’d met so many in her lifetime. Han Solo, Leia Organa, Luke Skywalker. Maz Kanata, Chewie, The Falcon, Artoo. She’d hoped to make them proud. Maybe she had, she didn’t know. The man holding her seemed determined for her to survive, and she reached up to press a hand against his chest. “It’s alright. It’s my time.” She tried to be reassuring, not fully hearing what he was saying, though she could feel his anger, turbulent and dark, dangerous. His fear for his wife, his children for what he’d seen. His guilt for actions not yet taken. She focused, reaching for the last gift she’d found, much much too late to be of help to anyone really. She reached into the force, and pulled, the peace from before guiding her as she gave him a healing in his heart, lifting a unwavering exhaustion behind his eyes as she did so. “Go in peace, Skywalker. The galaxy needs you.” With that, she felt herself fading. The force tugging at her, pulling her, gently. It would be so easy to let it take her away. It promised her that her pain and sorrow and loss would all be soothed if she just let go. “I’ll find you, I promise, you won’t be alone.” His voice broke through as she stared up at his tear-stained face. She smiled up at him, soft and peaceful. “May the force be with you, Anakin.” With that she let herself go, fading into the force, leaving him with a strange overly long lightsaber, a strange blaster and a set of ruined robes.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Yellow sand, white walls of metal, heat that is almost unbearable, and barely enough food to sustain life. Jakku was not kind to the residents who were forced to live on her serface. Even less so for those who were part of Unkar Plutt’s scavengers. It was a place where you forgot about things, left them behind. A junkyard was a kind thing to call it, and after the Battle of Jakku, it had only grown in size, leaving the scavengers, even more, to do as the years went on. The thing about junkyards is sometimes there is something special hidden away where no one thought to look. A tan cloth covered forme getting off their speeder at Niima outpost would have thought themselves anything but special. A quick movement had the cloth headdress yanked off, and three simple buns down the center of her neck, and a tanned freckled face peered at the dusty settlement. Her hazel gaze quick adapting to the glare from the metal and dust and sand. She turned back to her speeder and quickly set about undoing the net, fingers snagging the long black staff as she did so, settling it over her shoulder with its strap and dragging the net with her. It wasn’t long before she was cleaning the scrap she’d found, letting her mind wander. The woman had another strange dream. She’d had many in her life so far, but among the strangest was always centered around a strange set of intense blue eyes, a cleft chin and a penchant for dark clothing. This time they were sitting on a rocky island, him ranting to her about something he found important while he ripped up pieces of grass. His dark clothes looked sturdy and comfortable, outlining his broad shoulders well. She couldn’t remember the conversation but his annoyance was obvious. His golden hair had caught the sunlight when the clouds had moved out of the way of the twin suns hovering over the island. The sound of someone snarling at her in a language she barely understood yanked her attention from the strange man in her dream. She’d never met him, as far as she knew. Faces were something she was good at, and she didn’t really recognize him from Jakku. The Imperial ships in the graveyard had many logs and faces but none were his. Her gaze watched the short alien for a moment while she got back to work, cleaning her finds, in hopes of getting a bit more food. She was always pulled into her thoughts after a dream where he appeared. This time, like every time, he promised her he’d find her, that she wouldn’t be alone. She had come to assume it was just her subconscious trying to make herself feel better about how alone she really was, waiting for her family. Still, the dreams always felt real, as if there was someone actually talking to her, someone who cared about her without actually meeting her. It was strange, and nice sometimes, to wake up feeling less alone. It always made her a bit dreamy though. The sound of someone else yelling at her forced her to focus and thoughts of the tall blonde stranger were banished as she got to work, before bringing her haul to Plutt, waiting in line. She was used to being patient. Sometimes you just had to wait before venturing out into the desert, or for a ship to be taken apart, and sometimes you had to know when not to grab something. So she waited. And waited. The line was taking a long time and she had no idea why. She huffed softly, the warm breath going up against her face to blow the little loose hairs back. At least it was shady here, though the heat didn’t seem to care either way. And then suddenly the line was moving forward and she was swept up in it. It wasn’t long before she was haggling for a better number of portions. A strange feeling on the back of her neck made her pause a moment but Plutt seemed to relent, and she took the three portions with her. That might just get her through a couple of days, which would be nice. A break. She trotted off, pleased with herself, ignoring the slightly dazed look on Plutt’s face in favor of getting home, eating, maybe practicing her piloting with her sim. That could be something to do. She was half smiling as she returned to her speeder, putting the net back and shoving her staff through it. With an easy tug, she got her headdress back on and snapped the goggles back into place. As she turned to climb up onto the speeder she paused, feeling that strange feeling from before. Her gaze snapped to Niima, but besides the usual dark clad beings wandering around she saw nothing, and shrugged, turning on the beast of a speeder and racing away. It was a feeling of freedom, that speeder. It felt like she could do anything, and the wind was delicious against her skin, even if it did get peppered with sand sometimes. Her downed AT-AT was fairly far away from Niima, a necessity it felt like. Being too close to people when she wanted to sleep felt… wrong. It was as if everyone around her suddenly was to close when she finally settled into sleep. So she’d found herself somewhere safe. An abandoned and cleared vehicle of war. As she came to a halt next to it, she sighed in relief, removing the headdress again as she grabbed her staff again and made her way into the cool interior of her home, tossing the portions onto the makeshift table as she moved to scratch a line in the wall, barely even noticing how many lines there were. She had plenty of water, she could get that pretty easily, a water evaporator she’d repaired stuck out the head of the AT-AT. She moved to make herself some food, eating a portion and a half, in hopes of staving off hunger. Rationing was important, but she hadn’t eaten since yesterday morning. With a practiced hand, she went about making her food, cooking it up and humming softly to herself. Today was a good day. Hours past as she sat before her sim, this time practicing on a TIE fighter, enjoying the clipped movements. There was something about how precise one had to be to fly them that she enjoyed. Even if she wanted nothing to do with the Empire or the First Order. Even she’d heard of them here on this dust ball that everyone forgot. They weren’t all that important out here, even so. The setting sun always drew her back outside, and she took some of the leftover food with her, feeling content for the first time in months. Enough food to last her a little bit, that was nice. A day at least, to scavenge and catch up on some reading she’d found on a Star Destroyer. It was a schematic on a ship and she was excited to delve into it, eventually. For now, she sat down on the soft sand and picked up an old helmet, glancing at the phoenix design before pulling the helmet onto her head, smiling as she tore into a piece of rehydrated bread. The sky lit up in purples and reds, and her gaze stayed on the beautiful colors, watching as stars started to appear, slowly. Soon it would be night time and already she could feel the chill of the night coming. The helmet came off as she stared up at the sky, mind a trillion parsecs away on a rocky island and a stunning deep blue ocean. She always dreamed of the island with two suns and it was just soothing to think of the place, whatever it may be. If it wasn’t for the cold quickly leaching into space she’d have fallen asleep there, but she’d never done too well with the cold. Scrambling to her feet and dusting off the sand, she hurried back inside, dropping the helmet down on the sand as she scooped up her plate. No light, but she didn’t need it as she cleaned up and settled into sleep. Her dinged up datapad was tugged out from it’s hidden spot next to the bed and she started to read. Nothing all that important, just a schematic on a very old freighter class she’d found in a log. An old Corellian vessel that she was fascinated by. A YT class freighter. She had found herself interested when she’d gone to Niima and seen an ancient freighter sitting there. No one quite knew where it came from beyond that Plutt had taken it from Irving brother’s. Since then she’d found herself idly curious.She fell asleep reading.She dreamed of starry nights, cool sands and laughter. It morphed into a wild chase across the stars and a calming voice telling her he’d find her, and soon.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

He hated sand. Like really hated it. It was rough and got everywhere. Why did San Tekka have to live on a desert planet? With a disgruntled sigh, the X-Wing pilot settled the blue and black ship down just outside the village. The cheerful voice of his commander came through his helmet. “Well, we made it. You think the old guy’s gonna tell us anything?” “That’s why you brought me, isn’t it? He should talk to a Skywalker.” The frantic beeping from behind the man had him glancing back as he tugged off his helmet, blond unkempt hair fell around his face. The man was maybe twenty-three with charming icy blue eyes. “Fives it’s fine. Come on, let’s go before Dameron gets there first.” With that, the top of the X-Wing popped open and the young man hauled his tall frame out of the X-Wing, jumping and landing in the sand, frowning as his black and white BB unit landed much softer in the sand. “Did it have to be sand?” He muttered to himself as he tapped the long silver cylinder on his side. His clothes harkened back to a ‘more civilized time’. Jedi Robes, but dark with some leather, nothing good for the sun, but much more comfortable. The droid rolled up closer to him in the form of the shorter black haired man came towards him. “Aw come on Anakin, it could be worse. Could be Mustafar.” Poe paced past him as the taller man leveled a dark glare at the back of his commander’s head. If only you knew. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck already knowing he was going to burn as he stalked after the shorter man. The ever-cheerful white and orange BB8 rolled after it’s pilot and Anakin felt himself grow a little tense. This place was familiar. Why he wasn’t sure. His gaze snaked over the desert, searching for a familiar landmark. There wasn’t one. He’d never been here before, he knew that. He couldn’t shake the feeling as he walked into the village, his faithful droid following after him as he was greeted by an overzealous Lor San Tekka. He was genuinely grinning at Anakin. “Ah, young Skywalker. Welcome to my humble abode. Please come in.” With a glance at Poe, he walked in after the old man, grateful he’d managed to get out of a hug. He couldn’t hold back the sigh as he stepped out of the sun. He’d never liked desert planets. “So what brings a mighty Skywalker to my lonely corner of the galaxy?” The man motioned for both Poe and Anakin to sit down. It was Poe who answered, though, as San Tekka started to make tea. He jumped into an explanation of their mission and that they’d been lead to him. San Tekka didn’t speak at first, more focused on the tea. Patience was never something Dameron or Skywalker were good at and it showed as they shared glances and Anakin started to pick at the inside of his dark sleeves. A tendency to fidget had always plagued the younger man. He needed to be doing something. His focus was on the old man though, eyes half curious. “I was told that only great need should I…” the man paused. Poe glanced at Anakin who leaned forward, as the man brought the tea over to them. He politely took the tea but it was obvious there was more to be said. The young man’s blue eyes were bright with interest and curiosity. “My father left you with something, didn’t he? A way to find him?” The man paused and eyed Anakin sharply. With a ducked head he took a sip of tea. And found he disliked the taste. He managed to not spit it out but wasn’t about to take another. Bitter tea, grown on a dusty sandy planet. Already he had sand in his boots. With a disgruntled sigh, he put the tea down. The old man chuckled. “Your mother didn’t much care for tea either when she was your age.” Blue eyes were snapped to the old man’s face in an instant and there was a questioning look. “You never got to know her, did you?” Intense eyes grew dark with either a remembered pain or something else. “No. I did not.” There was anger in the blonde man’s voice as he seemed to teeter between emotions. “She died when I was young. What does that have to do with what my father left you?” San Tekka was chuckling to himself, which did not help his own mood. Poe’s hand landed on his arm though, and Anakin’s wrath was quieted for a moment. “What Anakin means is that we need the map we know you have.” Poe’s voice was calm, measured, but there was an edge of excitement in his words as if he was holding himself back a bit. San Tekka eyed the other man as if gauging him and his worth. “Please, it’s important. We need to find Skywalker as soon as possible.” His voice sounded a bit more pleading and San Tekka sighed, eyes flicking to the stormcloud that was the younger Skywalker. He rose to his feet and moved across his small hut. He pulled something out and Poe stood up moving with him. The old man eyed him with half a smile before sinking back down into his chair. He took the pilot’s hand and dropped a small object into it. Before he could say anything BB8 was rolling in, followed closely by BB-5S, the first screaming about incoming troopers. Anakin surged to his feet. “They followed us. Kriff. I told you we should have made a second jump!” He started forward. “But no, Commander Dameron always knows best.” There was a sarcastic tone to his voice, but Dameron was at his side. “Fives get to the ship.” Anakin snapped, stopping as Dameron paused, glancing back at San Tekka. “You should get out of here,” Poe demanded of the old man. “You should leave. Now.” Lor San Tekka looked like a man going to face his death. Anakin’s gaze snapped away from the man and up, a shutter sending him forward. Before he could get any further the explosion of his X-Wing lit up the night sky. He let loose a rather impressive string of swears as he rocked back on his legs. “Come on Skywalker!” The shorter man raced past him, BB8 hard on his tail. “I told you to land behind a dune!” Poe’s tone made Anakin growl as he chased after him, heading for the ship. Already the troopers were landing as they got to the X-Wing. “These don’t fly two.” Anakin tapped the black and orange ship. “Eh, I’m small enough, I’m sure we’ll be…” BB8 interrupted Poe as the shooting started. He crouched down beside the droid and held out something. “Take this. Go. Go now.” Anakin frowned as the droid beeped at him. “It’s alright buddy, I’ll be alright.” He pressed his forehead into the droid’s little dome before standing up. He glanced at Anakin a moment, as he started to climb up into his ship. “Go. With him. Now. That’s an order. Get out of here before he gets here.” “I can take him.” Anakin had tugged the cylinder from his hip. There was an angry energy crackling around him as he half stepped forward. “Don’t you dare Skywalker. The General can’t lose you too.” Anakin growled at the reminder, and stared at Poe. “Now go! I’ll find you when I find you! Get the map as far away as possible, get back to the Resistance!” The cockpit of the X-Wing shut and Anakin grunted angrily as he turned to race after BB8. He hated it when Dameron was right. Someone had to survive, and he couldn’t just let himself die because of a family vendetta. Into the cooling sand he hurried, after the rolling droid, catching up just as there was an explosion behind them. They both turned at the same time, staring at the fireball. Leather creaked as the tall man fought with himself, wanting desperately to go back, but knowing there was no use. If Dameron was really dead… well the First Order would just have to pay. The droid beeped sadly, and Anakin glanced down. “Come on, BB8, we can find a way off this planet, let’s go. It’s better to move at night anyway.” With that, the dark-clad man set off into the sand, not sure where to go, but knowing that anywhere was better than behind him.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Niima Outpost was shitty, even by Anakin’s standards. His gaze swept over the dusty place wondering if he was going to find an easy way off, when a huge speeder flew in, coming to a stop with a small form climbing off. He watched the slight form as it tugged off its head wrappings. Something about the form was intriguing to him, and he watched it, realizing that it was a she and that she was looking in his general direction. He shifted away, grateful he’d remembered to keep his robe on, the hood hiding his face from the sun and prying eyes. A set of strangely familiar hazel eyes locked on him for just a second before she continued along her path. He unintentionally followed her into the shade, seemingly more relaxed than he was. She drifted to a strange awning with brushes. It took until she started cleaning her finds for Anakin to realize that she had to clean whatever she had found. Scrap. Actual scrap. He frowned. She was familiar to him, but he couldn’t place why. He knew he should have been looking for a ship, and that BB8 would be upset when he returned to the orange and white droid, but Anakin was a creature of the force and there were moments when he let it tug him along. This was one of them. The night before was still branded in his mind, the loss of his friend, the death of a village because they dared to get near it. Still, his attention was on the girl. How long he watched he wasn’t sure, no one really seemed to notice him, though he’d been working actively to make sure no one did useing the force. Suddenly she was up and moving, dragging her net of things with her to the line. His gaze trailed along the line and found an assortment of people who looked worse off than her. Some were aliens, some were humans, all were much too thin, with scars and wounds that were ill kept or badly healed. No one here seemed particularly healthy, even the strange girl he was watching. She was malnourished, and while long-limbed, not particularly tall. She, however, seemed cleaner cut then the rest. No discernable scars or wounds and she seemed to have all of her limbs. That alone made her stand out. Well, that and the fact that Anakin could practically feel her in the Force. She was quiet, but her presence was there, and he found himself wanting to get closer. That urge he didn’t follow, hooded gaze locked on her three buns. It was a strange look, though it obviously did the job of keeping her hair out of her face. His attention was drawn away from her as she arrived at the front of the line. She seemed to grow distressed and without really giving it much thought he pushed into the alien’s mind, easily guiding the man to give the girl what she wanted. Why he’d done that he had no idea, but the vile feeling he felt after pulling away reminded him he probably shouldn’t do that again. That man was… unsettling to say the least. And then she was gone on that too big speeder of hers. Returning to where he’d left BB8 was less eventful than he expected. At least until he arrived in their safe little corner and realized the droid had wandered off. The tall man managed to not destroy anything in his anger and, admittedly, fear, but it was a close one, and only because he knew how close that could take him to someone else he wanted nothing to do with. It didn’t take much to figure out the droid had gotten bored and wandered off. Back into the fekking desert. Anakin growled in annoyance and set off after the droid. He’d been unable to convince BB8 to give him the damn map. And now he was lost. With a grumble, he set off after the obvious signs of the droid. By the time he caught up to the damn thing, it was in the middle of being dragged off by a scavenger. He managed to get up to the top of a dune when the strange girl from before came over the other side, gaze locked on the little droid. He frowned as he took a step forward but she was already calling out to the alien on his strange mount. The language wasn’t familiar, but the tone was. She was angry and had run-ins with this being before. Shrouded in the force he just watched, gaze curious. She charged down the dune and to BB8, ripping into the net and freeing the little droid before chasing off the alien. BB8 started chattering at her and Anakin watched another moment, feeling suddenly unsure. He had to get BB8 back, but who was this girl?By the time he got to the bottom of the dune they were over the other one and he was forced to climb up the sand, grunting with annoyance. “Fekking sand.” He muttered to himself. He was distracted enough with getting the sand off of his clothes and hands to not notice a long staff pointed at his head. He froze once he saw her standing in front of him, long weapon pointed at him. She was at least four feet from him, too far to grab, and the weapon was between them. He raised his hands. “Hello.” He managed, deciding to go for simple. “Who are you and why are you following me?” She snarled the words and she turned from pretty girl to fierce predator in a second, something he should probably be worried about, but he was too busy staring at her face up close. He’d seen it many times, and it was leaving him rather stunned. His mouth was a little open and she seemed to go very still. “I… I know you.” She managed softly, her guard going down a little, the weapon moving away from his head. BB8 behind her tweeted in excitement to see Anakin. “You’re just a dream.” Her voice was rushed and soft and there was a strange fear in her eyes. She took a step back, weapon still in her hand, and as if on a string he took the same step towards her. “You aren’t real. It was just…”“Dreams.” He responded softly, staring at her rather openly now. BB8 rolled a little closer, coming between them, his head swinging back and forth. “They never felt that way,” Anakin spoke mostly to himself but she still caught it. “How… dreams are not real! Who are you?” Her staff came back up, her confusion and anger finally taking the forefront and his hands snapped up again, the dark gloves brushing against his golden hair. “Anakin. My name is Anakin… I’m… I was looking for BB8.” Rey glanced down at the orange and white droid, and it quickly explained that Anakin was a friend of his pilot. His smile was quick to come to his face as BB8 asked him about where he’d gone. “I told you to stay put.” The droids response was typical of the loyal but easily distracted BB Unit line. I got bored. The woman glanced back up. “He knows you.” It was a statement of fact as if trying to find some balance in this all. For Anakin, this was very obviously The Force making itself known, as it had his entire life. He smiled at her again, watching. “I… I’m Rey… why… why are you in my dreams?” He found himself looking down, feeling a bit overwhelmed with her innocence at that moment. Her guard had dropped again and she looked so confused. He glanced up shyly at her and she was staring at him, chewing on her lip. “The force works in mysterious ways.” He responded easily, watching her gaze for recognition. Dark brows furrowed as she tried to comprehend what he meant. His hands dropped to his side as he stared at her a moment. “Rey, you know what the force is right?” He took another step towards her, feeling drawn to her and, having always been a bit clueless about social cues, followed that tug. A quick shake of her head had him frowning. “There’s… a Church of the Force in one of the outlying villages, but… I haven’t… I don’t… they make me uncomfortable.” It was obvious she didn’t mean that word, just couldn’t find the correct one. He nodded softly, pain easily slipping onto his face as he remembered the night before. “It’s… more complicated than that…” Well, the force was both the most simple thing in his world and the most complex. He found himself hunching forward a bit, hands hidden in his robes, hiding them away from her, from everything. BB8 made a worried whistle and rolled up to him. “I’m fine, Buddy, I swear.” He glanced at the woman, Rey. He had a name now. After years of growing up next to her in dreams, he finally had a name. The fact that they’d never even needed one until now was impressive. “I… sometimes the force can do things that don’t make sense.” He smiled at her again and she gave him a wary stare. “Well… if BB8 is yours, then he should go with you.” It was as if she was deciding everything he’d just said was unimportant and he was confused. She spun and headed towards a large metal expanse on the ground. He frowned, staring past her at the metal, realizing it was an AT-AT. “W-wait!” He was moving towards her quickly, and actually got a hand on her shoulder before she realized he was there. She spun, knocking his hand away with the staff and holding it up against his chin, forcing him to lift it. “Don’t you want to understand… this?” He waved a hand between them, already feeling her grow brighter in the force as they stood there with the dying sun. It felt like a different moment, as if someone else in white was standing there, demanding he do the right thing, and yet… He stared down at her, over the tip of his nose. “Whatever this is, it doesn’t matter. You should leave. You have your droid, now go.” Her demanding tone was only amusing to him and he stared at her as she motioned with her staff. It got too close to his chin and with barely a thought he snagged it and twisted it towards and past him, dragging her closer. “Hey!” Her voice was loud now, but he was tired of being threatened. “Let go! That’s mine!” There was a ferocity to her as she tugged back on the staff, unwilling to let it go. “This does matter. The force wouldn’t have brought us together if there wasn’t a reason.” He snapped, anger finally finding its way to the surface. How could she not see that this was important? It was life-changing. He’d always thought she was just a dream, one that felt real, but just dreams. Now… now he knew. Those hazel eyes were unmistakable. “We’ve spent hours together, remember the beach?” There was a strange twinkle in his eye, and she gasped, letting go of the staff and letting him stumble back. She took a few steps back. “Even if it wasn’t a dream, you should leave. You have your droid, now give me back my staff!” She stomped a foot into the sand, and he was surprised she didn’t sink. Though she was so slight it was a possibility she just wasn’t heavy enough. He twisted the weapon in his hands, whirling it around him in a martial way, feet unintentionally shifting as he did. “And if I don’t?” His tone was teasing, as was the smile he gave her. She actually made a screech and charged him, he sidestepped but not before snagging her shoulder and dragging her against him. “Hey… I promised I’d find you. I did didn’t I?” He hadn’t meant to brush his nose against her temple but now that he had, he wanted to keep going. He went still as she struggled against him. “The droid said he was on a mission. You didn’t come here to find me.” Her tone was angry, but he sensed a deeper emotion. Fear. He’d never known the girl from his dream to be fearful. She was utterly brave, refusing to back down from things that should have terrified her, like leaps from the rocky shores into the deep waters of their strange dreamscape, or her daunting runs over rocks that could turn your ankle in a moment. “You should just go.” Her voice was monotone now as if trying to hide her emotions. He shifted her around so his hands were on her shoulders, the staff at their feet, forgotten as he’d grabbed her. “I made a promise, and I always keep my promises, Rey.” There was a stubborn turn of his lips and he caught her confusion. “But you are right, I didn’t come here looking for you. I came here looking for something else, and now I need to return to the Resistance.” He glanced up at the sky, slowly starting to fill with stars. “You never said the sky was so pretty here.” He murmured. “You never asked.” “Should have.” “Are you going to just stand there holding my shoulders?” There was amusement in her tone and he looked back down at her. There was acceptance, at least a little, of whatever this was. He removed his hands easily and nodded to her. She leaned down to grab her staff, shoulder brushing against his knee before she glanced at BB8, then the cooling sands around them. “Tomorrow I have to go back to Niima. You and BB8 can come with and we’ll find you a ship.” She smiled at him before turning and walking away before he could stop her. There was a strangeness around her and he followed after. “I meant what I said, Rey. I promised I’d find you.” He wasn’t sure she was understanding what he meant. He knew people didn’t always understand him correctly. His mother had, but that was in the past. “And you did. And now you have to go.” She answered easily before slipping into her strange home. He stared down the hole at her as BB8 rolled past. She didn’t understand, not at all. He frowned as he walked in, ducking low because of his height, and froze. The entire place was filled with lines. Every wall had small scratches. She seemed uncomfortable with him there, but he was to lost in the implications. “These are days, aren’t they? You said you were waiting…” He paused turning his gaze on her. There was fear there, and sorrow, and shame. He was seeing her inner self in this room. A small doll made to look like a Rebel (and resistance) fighter pilot, a small cup with dried flowers, a few other odds, and ends, and the lines on the wall were all that defined the strange woman’s world. So small, and lonely and lost. “Don’t pity me.” She snarled the words. “It’s my home. You’re lucky the droid likes you.” She snapped, as BB8 made a chortling sound. Anakin gave him a long stare, reminded of a much older droid in that sound. He glanced at her again, gaze staying stuck to her as she sat down on what he assumed was a mattress. Her legs curled under her as she stared up at him. “What happens now?”Anakin sank down to the floor next to her bed, staring at her, feeling suddenly very tall. “I and BB8 have to return to the Resistance. You can come with.” There was a small hopeful smile. “I saw a freighter that might… work, but I can’t get close.” He added, almost as a toss out. “That thing won’t even work, I promise. Plutt got it off of the Irving Brother’s. It’s just been sitting there.” Rey’s voice was soft and he stared at her as she watched him, arms wrapped around herself, obviously either cold or just trying to comfort herself. He had to refrain from grabbing her and pulling her close. He’d have done it if it was their dreams, they’d been close in the dreams, but here… here he wasn’t so sure. “There’s a quad-hopper that’s in better shape.” She added helpfully. “Tomorrow maybe we can find you a way off of Jakku.” She hadn’t accepted his offer. That made him sad and his gaze fell as he looked at his knees, the robes wrapping around him carefully and warmly. “Alright, tomorrow then.” She stared at him a moment. “I don’t have pillows.” Anakin found himself smiling up at her again. “Or anywhere but here…”“Don’t worry about it. I’m just gonna eat and go to sleep… if you don’t mind?” He tugged out a ration bar and started to chew. She frowned at him a moment before laying down her back to him. It was quiet except for the crinkle of his wrapper and his chewing and their breathing. In the corner, the lights of BB8 dimmed as he went into standby mode. It was dark, but Anakin barely noticed. “Anakin?”“Yes, Rey?”“Do you think we can see that… place? In our dreams? I mean… will we meet there again?” There was a wistful tone and he found himself smiling a little. “Sure. I don’t see why not.”“Good. It’s pretty.” Anakin smiled a little at her words, wondering if maybe there was more to her question than she let on.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Figuring out who rode where on the speeder was a bit confusing. Rey refused to let Anakin drive it, her possessiveness of her things making it impossible for her to let him, even as he made it clear it might work better. Eventually, he relented to riding behind her, though not gracefully, still muttering to himself as they came out of her home and she was putting BB8 into the net attached to the huge speeder. “I can drive it just fine!” He muttered as she climbed up onto the huge speeder and paused to eye him.
“It’s my speeder. I built it, I get to drive it. I can leave you here and send BB8 off on his own if you’d like.” There was almost a teasing tone to her voice and he grunted before easily climbing up behind her. “You’ll need something to cover your face.” She muttered as she snagged a cloth off the edge of the speeder and handed it to him. He frowned at her. “The sand will bite into your eyes. Cover them.” It was an order, and for a moment, Anakin thought about disagreeing.
Rey, for her part, wasn’t sure how to handle him. He was strange, always seemed to be full of emotions, always watching and learning. He’d offered to help her get BB8 loaded, but she was perfectly capable of handling the droid. He was light compared to some things she’d had to manhandle before. The strange thing was the way his arms wrapping around her waist felt. Warm and comforting. Things she’d only viewed as from a dream world. The times when they’d been rough housing and she’d fallen on him (or vise versa) and there had been that strange moment of tension. This was like that, as she and the speeder zoomed across the sands.
For once she had someone at her back. Someone she couldn’t help but trust. And she wasn’t even sure why. The Force. She knew almost nothing about it, beyond the stories of Luke Skywalker, and the few things she’d heard from San Tekka when she’d been a messenger as a child. Nothing of use. But if she knew Anakin before meeting him, and he her, then there had to be an explanation. She was still dwelling on this as they came to the Niima outpost.
She was actively searching for a ship when they ran into a strange dark skinned man with a jacket that made Anakin go white as a bone. His rage was obvious as the smaller man seemed pale as well. “Woh,
wait man! I’m n-not,” but he didn’t get much further than that as Anakin reached forward and snagged the man’s black shirt and dragged him closer, right fist raised to punch him.
“That is my friend’s jacket.” He snarled the word, and Rey reached out to grab his arm, feeling for a moment that this darkness inside of him was dangerous. As she did so she felt his greif as well and her hand let go surprised, but already his hand was unfurling from the man’s shirt and stepping back, gaze on her. She shook her head, raising her staff towards him.
“Wh… You know Poe?” The man looked surprise as he stared up at the much taller force user. The golden haired man’s gaze snapped back to Finn and stayed there.
“He’s my best friend.” His tone was still dark, but it was obvious now he was controlling that rage and anger and greif. That seemed to terrify the man more. “So you’d better explain.”
“He… he saved my life. We picked him up at the… village…” The look on the man’s face went still for a moment and Rey starred as she felt something from the other man. There was something bright about him, like Anakin, but… gentler, softer, less obvious. Was he like Anakin? A force user?
“And then?” There was a deep growl that accompanied the words from her friend and Rey eyed the older man as the shorter one stuttered and explained, causing grief to radiat from Anakin and the little droid started to droop. The man, Finn tried to soften the blow, or started to, before the sound of modulated voices got their attention. “Shit. Rey, you said there was a ship? We need to leave now.” Anakin suddenly snapped as two First Order Stormtroopers pointed towards them and shouted. It wasn’t long before they were shooting as Rey attempted to lead them towards the ships she knew were out there. BB8 rolled after them, frantic as it had recovered from the grief of losing it’s friend.
They hit open sand as Rey bolted towards the quad-engine ship. “What about that one?!” She heard Finn yell as she raced forward. She glanced towards the freighter that Finn called out. She shook her head.
“That one’s garbage!” She called, knowing that freighter in particular was old and decrepit. She’d only seen it set down, not fly and it had half sunk into the sand when it had landed. It was a piece of crap and she knew it. Before they could get to much further the ship she’d been aiming for blew up, the scream of TIE’s filling her ears. She slid to a stop. “The garbage will do!” She called as she raced towards the downed ramp of the ship, the other two men and the droid on her tail. She slid into it, recognizing it as a YT-1300 Corellian Freighter. “There’s a turret that way!” She called as she raced towards the pilot’s seat, but the taller of the two men got there first. “Hey!”
“We need an experienced pilot.” He snapped at her, adrenaline in his gaze, as he glanced at her. He pointed at the seat. “I need a co-pilot, let’s go Rey! No time!” She could see some recognition in him as he flicked at the ship. They managed to get up only seconds later, the sand and tarp ripping off the old ship. A shot got to close and Anakin growled. “I don’t know if our stormtrooper friend is any good of a shot, you take this.” He rose to his feet, and raced off. Rey slipped into the captain’s chair. Suddenly those years of practice came in handy. Real handy. She swung the ship between one set of spires and one of the ships following slammed into them. She whooped as she continued, letting herself get lost in the fact that she was flying. Really flying.
The woops from her new friends had her laughing before she felt the ship shudder under her. “Shit.” She growled the word as she shifted into serious mode and started to actually focus. Finn got off another shot and there were only two TIEs after them. Then she heard his scream his gun was jammed. Without thinking, she asked the ship to climb, even as she heard Anakin say his wasn’t. Suddenly the ship was falling and tumbling so that Finn could fire. Two explosions above them as they shot past the falling debris and they exited the desert planet’s atmosphere, jumping into lightspeed even as both men entered the cockpit and Rey and Finn started babbling at one another, with the taller man watching them, something indescruitable in his gaze.
Suddenly the entire ship shuttered and they were dumped back into normal space, all three of them staring at each other as warning klaxons sounding through the ship. Rey was racing off to figure out what was wrong as Finn, BB8 and Anakin followed. She was lifting a panel in the floor and jumping down, and the taller of the two men was following her. “We have to shut off this leak and patch it or we are all going to die.” Her tone was dire and a bit panicked.
“Die? You can fix it though?” Finn sounded terrified and BB8 attempted to tell him that Skywalker was the best at fixing things, but the man seemed more focused on Rey. Anakin glanced at Finn and BB8 a moment and scoweld before returning to working beside the slim woman. Rey was much more focused. “I need that spanner.” She motioned as she rubbed some hair out of her face. Anakin grunted in agreement. She pointed past Finn who goggled at her a moment. “Finn, I need that.” He stared at her a bit confused before reaching a hand out. “No that.” She motioned again and finally, he grabbed it and tossed it to her.
“So you’re running away from the First Order?” Anakin’s voice seemed very calm, but Rey glanced at him as she got to work, noting he felt… annoyed? He was aggravated at Finn for something and it wasn’t his status as a former First Order Stormtrooper. Rey ignored them as they started talking a little, with Finn sounding very cautious and worried, while Anakin seemed to be pleased with exactly that. It was easy to fall into step with him, she’d done it for years hadn’t she? It didn’t take long to fix the leak and they were both climbing out of the pit and putting the panel back.
“Well, that went better than expected.” She mused to them as she walked past them back to the cockpit to get the ship going again. Anakin sighed as he walked past Finn rubbing the back of his neck, unknowingly getting grease on his hair and neck. Rey sank into the pilot’s chair as Finn sat down in the co pilot’s seat, getting a very annoyed glare from their third companion who leaned against her chair, hovering over her as a strange shadow. She glanced up at him a moment before looking at Finn.
“So we have to get to a place… where we can get you to a safe place, and you back to the Resistance.” She looked back up at Anakin who was staring at the controls as if he was seeing a ghost. “Anakin?”
“What? Sorry. Just felt familiar. Uh…. I know a place, we should be able to meet the resistance there. What about you? You should come with me.” He grinned down at her, and she found herself staring a bit, finding a strange feeling in her stomach.
“Jakku. I’m going back to Jakku!” She answered sharply and as if that was obvious. Just as Anakin was about to argue, his mouth open and blue eyes a bit dark with sudden anger the entire ship shook and she turned back towards the controls. “We’ve been caught in a tractor beam.” Her voice was full of dread as she glanced at Finn who was already climbing up in his chair and leaning forward, putting his hand on her head to attempt to balance himself. She slapped it away as he gave the darkest information he could have.
“It’s the First Order!” He was in a complete panic and she froze, but it was Anakin who seemed to have an idea what to do. Or not do.
“No. It’s not.” His tone was even. He was staring up and back, hand still on her chair, but gaze turned away. He seemed to be sensing something, he glanced back at her with half a smirk. “It’s most definitely not.” He stepped away and out of the cockpit. Without thinking Rey followed. Or tried to. Finn’s hand snagged around her wrist.
“Wait, what if he’s wrong. We should hide! You don’t know if he’s actually Resistance!” There was obviously a bit of worry from him, but Rey stared at him a moment. She could tell he was worried and frightened and uncertain. His entire life had been flipped over. So had her’s.
“It’s alright, Finn. Anakin wouldn’t lie.” Her tone was easy, and there was even a faint smile there. “He’d never lie.” That was something she just knew. Years of shared dreams, it seemed. Years of growing up beside one another and billions of miles away from one another on different planets and with different things.
She pulled away from him and marched after the tall form of her friend, her ally. Behind him was the BB unit she’d befriended as well. He came to a stop just at the top of the ramp and waited, Rey and Finn cautiously behind him. The ramp lowered slowly and as soon as it did a roar of excitement and joy hit Rey’s ears. It’s really her, Han! Look it’s the Falcon! She gawked as she stared at the Wookie coming up the ramp and coming to a complete stop staring at Anakin, Rey, Finn, and BB8.
“Anakin? What the hell are you doin’ on my ship, Kid?”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Han’s obvious joy at seeing the tall blonde made both Finn and Rey smile, though the pair of them stayed back as both the old man and the wookie hugged the tallest human. There was joy coming from Anakin, which made Rey smile more. He seemed happy to see family. The wookie roared at Anakin about Rey and Finn, and it was Rey who answered. “I am a pilot, actually, and not just a stowaway. I got us off of Jakku.” There was pride in her tone, and she saw Anakin stare at her a moment. The Wookie roared at her again, as Finn sputtered. “You can understand that monster?” Rey actually glared at Finn as he spoke, and the wookie took a step forward, angrily. At the same time, the old man put a hand on the wookie’s arm. “Yeah and he can understand you.” The man growled at Finn before flicking his blue eyed gaze to Rey. “You know Shiirwook? And your from Jakku…” He frowned eyeing her. “I knew we should have checked the western reaches again, Chewie.” The wookie growled before commenting on the stupidity of Rey’s friend. Rey found herself smiling a little. The people before her were happy, and she couldn’t help but want to mirror what was going on. The gray haired man walked past herself and Finn, towards the cockpit as the wookie continued to grumble, growl and roar at Anakin, who was easily holding up his side of the conversation, in, admittedly, broken Shiirwook. Rey was drawn to the cockpit though, much more interested in who that man was. “The wookie said this was the Falcon? Did he mean the Millenium Falcon?” She saw the man in the cockpit start, his sharp brown eyes locking onto her with the quick gaze of someone who had spent his life never quite safe. “Yeah, he did.” The man was short with her, but she gasped with joy and stepped forward. “This is the ship that did the kessel run in fourteen parsecs!” She cried out, just as Finn arrived, having followed after her. “That means you are Han Solo!” It was obvious she was meeting a childhood hero, but the man eyed her a moment. “Yeah, I am, what is it to you, Kid?” He sounded grumpy, and eyed her with some trepidition. There was obviously a great dislike to being hero worshiped. “Wait, your Han Solo? As in General Solo of the New Republic? Wow. That’s… that’s…. Somethin’.” Finn got a rather nasty look as the old pilot stalked past him, and nearly ran into Anakin and Chewie who were still talking to one another. “Where’d you find these two yahoos, Kid?” He muttered as he ran his hand down the bulkhead nearest to him, obviously feeling a deep connection with the ship. Anakin paused and glanced at Rey and Finn who had followed Han out of the cockpit. “I found ‘em on Jakku. Rey’s one hell of a pilot.” Anakin grinned at Han who eyed the taller man a moment, before huffing. “So what’s the story, why were you on Jakku, Ani?” The old man lead the way to the central living area of the ship and watched as everyone else followed, Finn and Rey finding a place to sit near the game board, both of them very obviously feeling out of place. Anakin found a place on the wall and crossed his arms, his head tilting down as he tried to put his words into order. The orange and white droid came to a stop next to Rey but tweeted at Han. The old man glanced at the droid a moment before glancing back at Anakin, either ignoring what the droid had said, or just waiting for Anakin’s input. It seemed he was patient with the younger man, arms on his hips as he waited. After a moment the hooded blue eyes locked with his. “I’m looking for Dad. Poe too…” Anakin sounded sad, and a bit lost. “Poe…” He clenched his right fist and the leather creaked a little. “San Tekka had a map. It’s in BB8… I promised Poe I’d get it back to Aunt Leia, and now he’s…” Suddenly Anakin looked down again and Han took a step towards the younger man, arms dropping to his sides. “It’s ok, Kid.” Anakin’s gaze snapped to Han and there was rage there, and pain, and sorrow. “No. It’s not. It’s my fault. I should have known he’d follow us, follow me.” There was a dangerous bite in Anakin’s tone, and Han took a step back his hands starting to go up. Chewie growled a soft warning. “So a map to Luke. Sounds like we should get you to the Resistance. I know a place, a person who can get you to them.” Han mused softly, glancing at the pair sitting on the couch. Both young, but already he could see the hardships on their faces, in their life. Before he could continue the ship shook again. “Shit. Chewie?”“What the hell was that?” Finn’s voice was worried as he jumped to his feet, Rey mirroring him. “I hope it’s not the Rathtars.” Han intoned, and both Anakin and Finn went white at the mention. “Tell me you aren’t hauling Rathtar’s Han!” Anakin’s voice was quick and sharp. “I’m not hauling Rathtar’s.” There was no honesty in Han’s voice as he hurried out of the ship and into the larger freighter’s docking bay, hurring to the bank of monitors. He frowned and started to mutter. “You three… four get back on the ship. I and Chewie will handle this.” Anakin disagreed and followed after Han with Chewie, leaving Rey and Finn alone. They glanced at one another before hurrying after the trio. They ended up a floor below, and it took Rey only a moment to figure out that Han Solo was a terrible bluffer. It took only a few more moments to figure out his freighter and let the Rathtar’s loose. The race back to the Falcon was quick, and she was the first on board, charging to the Cockpit, with Solo just behind her. She was in the co-pilot’s seat as they tried to ignore the Rathtar on the front of the ship. “What are you doing?!” Finn screamed as he slammed himself into a chair just behind Han, as the ship took off, listing a little while the Rathtar held them down a bit. “Getting us out of here. Strap in.” Han’s gravly voice had Rey moving instantly, as Anakin came in, the soft hum of his blue blade filling the cockpit. “And turn that off.” He snapped, the Jedi frowning as he clung to something near the back of the cockpit as the two up front worked quickly to get the ship ready for hyperspace. “Can you jump inside a ship?” Finn’s voice sounded worried and a bit terrified even, obviously not trusting either of them to know what they were doing.“We’re about to find out!” Han seemed giddy as the ship started to shake and then the sky outside the cockpit when white. Rey glanced at him with joy on her face, open and pleased, Han stared at her a moment before klaxon’s when off and she was on her feet scrambling for something, as they started to stutter, her focus blocking out the panic from Finn, and the concern from Han, Chewie and Anakin. She found the part needed and rewired around it, turning to show Han what she’d done. He stared at her moment before getting up. “Alright, I’m taking you kids somewhere safe.” He muttered, walking back into the living area. “You should come with us Han. She misses you.” Anakin’s voice was ignored as Han continued to stare at his ship. “Can’t. If I can track this ship, anyone can. It’s to…”Chewie’s roar filled the hull for a moment. “That.” Han returned, pointing at Chewie before walking past. Hours passed and Rey helped Han fix up what other issues might have been put into place by Plutt, talking to him, and Anakin, who also helped, and Finn, who seemed as determined to be near her as Anakin was. She barely noticed but was overjoyed when Han asked her to bring them out of hyperspace. She slid into the co-pilot’s seat again and pulled the dial back, and stared. The planet before them was beautiful and green. “I didn’t know there was this much green in the whole galaxy,” her voice was reverent as he stared up out of the window, Han watching her, as if seeing a distant dream. Maybe a remembered moment of Luke’s first view of a green planet, or his own reaction seeing something similar years before. The young woman’s face was filled with joy and awe, seeing green on something besides a screen. He turned back to the controls, glancing, just for a second, at a pair of blue eyes locked on the back of the girl’s head. “Welcome to Tokanda. I know someone here who can help you.”