Sunrise brought along a light fog over the Atlantic that morning. As Rey was leaving Ben's cabin to tend to her daily chores, she caught the pale glow of a lighthouse revolving slowly in the distance. Pausing, her hand gripping the doorframe, she watched as the waves crested then smashed into the island's rugged cliffside before mountains and trees materialized in the background beyond the mist.

It was her first view of anything green in weeks.

The air in this region was more humid with a misty rain licking the skin on her face and neck as opposed to the cool breeze on the vast ocean blue, similar to those dreary days on Jakku. But the scenery on this island was of lush greens and hills instead of towering palms and sandy beaches.

At the sound of heavy footsteps from inside the cabin, Rey turned her head to see Ben approaching. There was no denying it, her feelings for him had irrevocably grown stronger. The tug on her heartstrings suggesting the root of her emotions burrowed deeper inside her heart than what she had admitted to him that afternoon a few days ago.

But what was it that differentiated like from love?

The captain stopped beside her, his hand at the small of her back and kissed her temple. Rey swept those notions aside for pondering at a later date as she melted into him. "Which island is this?" she asked him. With well over a hundred islands in the Caribbean, it was difficult to discern one from the rest when there was fog thrown into the mix.

Glancing at the island in question, it took Ben no longer than a second for him to identify their location. "Batuu," he replied.

Rey knitted her brows. "Batuu?"

Ben nodded. "A close neighbor of Jakku," he said. "And precisely where we're making port for the day."

Blinking, Rey shot him a quizzical look. "Making port here? Why?" she prodded, crossing her arms and taking a few steps onto the quarterdeck as the captain proceeded to close the cabin door. "I thought you couldn't go on land?"

"I can't. Not yet, anyway," he asserted. "Even if I could, I wouldn't waste my one day here." Rey quirked her brow at him. He was acting as if coming here had been intentional, though his passiveness stated the contrary. Letting the thought slide from her shoulders, it was after they had paced several steps forward when he finally enlightened her on his agenda for the day. "However...you can."

A hand reaching for the crook of Ben's arm, Rey halted both him and herself in their tracks. "Ben, what are you talking about?" she pried skeptically.

"I'd promised you weren't a prisoner here," he grimaced. "We've been at sea for weeks, and you deserve to see more than this fuckin' ship all the time. My mother preferred visiting the market here whereas most gave business to the designers in London. I can't personally show you around, but I can let you see it for yourself. You'll find almost anything here."

Rey was at a loss for words. Not only was he giving her free reign to wander this island alone, but he was trusting her that she wouldn't try plotting an escape from the Silencer. Once upon a time, she might have entertained the thought of running away from the cursed captain and his crew.

Now things had undoubtedly changed between her and Ben.

"It sounds lovely," she said wistfully, folding her arms. "But unfortunately, I haven't a shilling to my name. I doubt they're any more generous here than the villagers on Jakku." She shrugged, wetting her lips. "Which is fine, because if there's one thing living humbly has taught me, it's that you can't buy what matters most in life."

His mouth curved upright at a corner. "About that..." Parting his beard to the left, a rear tentacle came forth through the layers and revealed a small leather pouch that jingled as he shook it abruptly. "For some reason, I've held onto this for a decade. But thanks to a certain critter onboard who happens to be exceptionally good at pickpocketing enemies, there's extra for you to spend."

"Ben..." she sighed, wincing. "That's yours. I couldn't possibly acce—."

"Rey," he interrupted, "I meant when I said you wouldn't go without again, and I have no need for money here." Her mouth opened to argue that having him in her life was all she needed to be content before the captain's hand reached for hers. Flipping her palm upward, he dropped the coin pouch into her fingers. "There are no strings attached here, okay? Just...please, let me do this for you."

She studied the little pouch in her possession, chewing her bottom lip. For the life of her, Rey couldn't recall any moment in the past where she had received anything for free—not without having a payback of sorts. And seeing as to how the captain was nowhere close to reneging on his offer, she whispered an appreciative thank you to him and shoved it into her empty trouser pocket.

"One more thing," he added. "If you make it back before sunset, there's something I want to show you."

It was those exact words of his that kept Rey plodding down the boardwalk and not retreating to the rowboat she had left behind at the dock. His voice the lone reservoir of reassurance in her head that Ben wouldn't abandon her here as her parents had done on Jakku.

Still, in a weird sense, it felt like deja vu all over again.

Fear had flared in her gut the moment she set foot on solid ground. And before she took another step onward, Rey peered over her shoulder at the bay. Her eyes landed on the Silencer idling a few hundred yards out from the shallows, and not the ghost of a ship she once knew as the Stardust.

Ben isn't them, Rey, she chided herself. It's alright, he won't leave you.

Before her departure from the Silencer, Ben had made certain that her sword was holstered at her hip as well as the one-shot pistol Chewie had given her for protection. He'd kissed her, short and sweet, not quite a goodbye but the kind of which conveyed I'll see you later. And he swore he would be waiting for her there when she returned.

She needed to do this, needed to be strong—for him and for herself. Considering he was bound to the ocean, Rey knew he would enjoy listening to her speak of her experience here, providing her incentive to swallow that nagging anxiety and push forward.

A stone stairwell, flanked by banana trees and ferns, led Rey from the docks to the already bustling township. Beyond the main square, near the heart of Batuu, towers upon buildings steepled above trees and rooftops and into the dying clouds of fog, revealing a sapphire sky. If there ever came a time where it was necessary for her to describe this place to anyone, it was practically London crammed into the midst of jungles and mountains.

In all honesty, it was a lot for her eyes to consume in one sitting. Seeing it was best that she began here in the outskirts and navigate towards the middle, she started at the line of shops closest to her left.

Baskets and wooden crates containing recently harvested produce were sitting upon tables beneath canvas awnings. Propped on the ground alongside table legs, away from the puddles and pedestrians down the busy street were feedsacks packed full of grains and equestrian feed. Bakers were among the food merchants, peddling fresh out of the oven rolls and pastries on carts. Rey happily indulged and purchased a blueberry muffin from a gentleman offering an assortment of gourmet bread and desserts.

It was delicious.

Throughout her leisure stroll, she noticed there was an indescribable vivacious buzz in the air. Unlike the townsfolk of Jakku, the residents here were much more pleasant—everyone prattled on with just about anyone who so much as said hello. And while Jakku was nowhere close in size to the metropolitan cities like London, even there Rey had been a faceless number among the masses.

No wonder Ben's mother fancied this place, she mused.

As morning rolled into early afternoon, Rey found herself touring the streets farther inland, browsing carts that carried an extensive variety of flowers and herbs. Trekking passed the potters and weavers, she came upon the alleyways of infinite clothing vendors.

A canvased enclosure with two side walls and a posterior was the first booth she stopped at around the corner. Dresses and evening gowns that had to have cost a pretty sum of shillings were strung up on clothing racks, inside and outdoors. Frilly bloomers, stockings, and other odds and ends of lingerie were neatly arranged in stacks across one of two tables; which were simply six-foot planks supported by a barrel at each end underneath. Included within the apparel mounds were several very stiff-looking undergarments that Rey hadn't seen before, designed in multiple patterns with ribbon lacing their backs.

Interesting. Her eyebrow quirked at one, in particular, that was a dusky-shade of mauve with an off-white lace trimming the top.

"I was told it's the latest fashion trend in London," said a woman's voice behind her. Removing her gaze from the garment, Rey turned to the young woman standing at the entrance.

She looked to be the approximate age as Poe: mid to late-twenties, Rey assumed. Hugging her lithe figure was a dress made of teal fabric and white zig-zag print on the bodice, its skirt a marigold yellow. Her skin naturally tanned with brilliant green eyes and curly russet-brown hair drawn up in a messy-styled bun. "It's a corset," she pointed out. "It's supposed to improve your figure but let's just say women in London must have learned not to breathe."

Rey chortled, examining said garment on the table. "It does look uncomfortable," she remarked. Sweeping her fingers across the silky material, her face wrinkled when she discovered how unyielding its rigidness was underneath. Women are actually wearing these things? Try as she might, she couldn't comprehend why a woman would put herself through such agony just to appear skinny.

"It is, trust me," said the young woman, smiling. "I'm Zorii."

"Rey," she offered, casting a grin to the other woman.

Zorii cleared her throat. "So what brings you to Batuu?" she asked. Clasping her hands, she sauntered towards Rey. "I'm usually pretty good with faces but I don't think I've ever seen you around here before."

Rey furrowed her brows, grimacing. It wasn't as if she could blurt out the fact she had been on the Silencer for the last month or so, and that its captain was funding her visit here. "I don't get out much," she answered, begrudging herself the minute she uttered the lie. "Jakku is kinda hard to leave once you're stuck there and you don't have the means to travel. But someone..." her sentenced tapered off as she began grasping for words. "Someone told me this was the place to visit if the opportunity ever presented itself."

"Oh, Jakku!" Even in the shade, Zorii's irises shone vividly like emeralds in sunlight. "So you're a neighbor. You must know Leia Organa then?"

"Leia..." Rey drawled, her interest piqued by the woman's sudden inquisitiveness. "As in Governor Leia Organa?"

"Mmhmm," Zorii hummed. "Back when I was only helping my mum manage the store, she used to come here every so often with her son. It's been a long time since I last saw her, though. Her son...he um," her expression fell sullen. "He went missing years ago."

Rey frowned and shifted on her feet. "Her son?"

"Yeah, Ben Solo," she affirmed. Taking a breath and folding her arms, she said, "He and this...guy I was dating at the time were best friends. Wasn't conventionally attractive like your other naval cadets around here but—he was charming. Kinda reminded me of Leia, I guess. He was good at listening when you needed someone to talk to." Shaking her head, she snorted. "And I may have been a little jealous of his hair because it was seriously fabulous."

Rey was processing the woman's words as a sponge would have absorbed torrential rainfall in the Sahara desert. Replaying the conversation she held with Poe a few prior days ago, she pinned Zorii as the woman he had been referring to. And she knew Ben, pre-curse.

But did she really think it was as simple as Ben having gone missing? Or was she aware he had become the unruly captain of the Silencer for all those years and if so, did she also know Poe was with him?

"I'm sorry," Zorii sighed. "You don't know me and here I am blathering on about my woes to you. So!" Unfolding her arms, she clapped her hands together, her newly adopted enthusiasm not the least bit convincing. "What about you—you buying for anyone special?"

Rey bit her bottom lip. "The guy you dated—he was Poe, wasn't he?"

Zorii blinked, momentarily taken aback by her abruptness. "Y-You know him?"

"He's...here," said Rey quietly. "I mean, not 'here' here. He's onboard a ship in the harbor—with Ben."

Gaping in utter bewilderment, Zorii's mouth opened but failed to deliver the words she was wanting to say. Her stunned silence was all the assurance Rey had needed to come clean about the Silencer and the curse. How Poe had followed Ben onboard despite knowing the severity of those consequences and of their ten-year banishment from land.

The pair seemed to have talked for hours after the cat was let loose from the bag. Zorii asked questions and Rey clarified what she was able to. She explained how fate had led her to the Silencer, spoke of her friendship with Poe—the sadness in Zorii's eyes at the mentioning of him anew hadn't gone unnoticed but Rey didn't pry.

And lastly, moseying about the diminutive space to the clothing rack where several dresses were hanging on display, she told her about the seriousness of her relationship with Ben. Her feelings for him and how she hoped to free him of the curse one day.

"Do you love him?" Zorii asked softly. They say inquiring minds think alike because in that instant, staring absently at an ivory peasant dress with cropped, lace sleeves, Rey was asking herself the very same thing, for the hundredth time that day.

"I don't know..." she frowned. "My family was absent most of my childhood so you could say I never had much of an example to go by growing up. I get the concept I just—don't know if this is it or not."

Zorii pinched her lips in thought, crossing her arms. "Well, you obviously care deeply for him and judging by the things you've told me, the same goes for him," she smiled. "The Ben Solo that I knew—he's a good guy. Family was always his priority. I imagine when he loves, he loves fiercely and doesn't just want the sex that comes along with it. Those guys are hard to come by nowadays. Sometimes you can't put emotions into words and by the time you think you've figured it out, it might be too late."

Rey gave her a small smile and nodded, wondering how much of that was from Zorii's own experience. "That's fair," she agreed, but only time would tell if it was love she was feeling or something else. And she knew whatever it was, it couldn't be rushed.

Her attention drifted back to the dress she had been eyeballing for some time now. There were fasteners running up its front, securing it shut with a tasseled rope at the waist, tied into a bow. Lace embellished the sleeves and its bottom hem adorned a delicate, gossamer trim. "I love this," she whispered, more to herself than for the other woman to hear, her forefinger and thumb worrying the tassel fringe.

Rey had never owned anything new before—let alone fancy. Bearing in mind the surprise that Ben had in store for her this evening, she figured it wouldn't hurt to look nice for him. Even though regarding the price tag made her cringe.

While Zorii was packaging the dress safely inside a champagne and cream boutique box for Rey, an identical pair of silver lockets with beaded chains on the jewelry table beside her caught her eye. Both circular molds maintained the engraving of a phoenix with its wings spread above its head, its tail feathers spiraling downwards. Legends called it the bird of eternal life, symbolized rebirth and overcoming darkness.

And Lord knows we've both endured our fair share of lows in life, Rey thought.

"Those just came in yesterday," Zorii announced. "Perfect timing, right? They play music when you open them."

Rey added them to her purchase without hesitating.

After all had been said and done, tucking her box of goodies beneath her arm, Rey turned to Zorii as she accompanied her outside. "You could come with me?" suggested Rey, jerking her head in the direction of the sea. "If you want to see him, I mean."

Zorii frowned and took a sharp breath. "My responsibilities have me tied here, I'm afraid," she breathed. "Please say hi to Ben for me. I'm glad he's okay. But if it's not too much trouble—could you tell Poe that I forgive him?"

**

Back on the Silencer, Ben's duties as captain had kept him occupied as Rey explored the town. For the most part, it got the job done during the day. Come twilight, though, when the sun was sinking in the west and the crew had begun filtering below deck, time seemed to have been held at a standstill.

What if Rey wasn't coming back?

It shouldn't have bothered him. She'd been hesitant to go, had promised to return by sunset. But calming his inner demon once the fear of losing her had lodged itself in his head was damn near impossible. The apocalypse could have been bringing the world around him to its knees and yet his perception still wouldn't have strayed from the docks in Batuu's harbor.

Waiting for her was pure and absolute torture.

"Relax," said Poe, strolling up from behind the captain and clapping a hand to his shoulder. "She'll be here. With the way that girl inhales food, she's probably getting her last-minute fill of curry goat and rice at Plo's. That shit was amazing when we used to come here back in the day."

Ben side-eyed his first mate. "I'm sure curry goat isn't all that's on your mind, Dameron," he snarked.

Poe's lips flattened. "This isn't about Zorii," he groused, his pained expression upon mentioning her name made it clear Ben had reopened an old wound. "We're talking about Rey. You seriously think she's gonna leave you after spending an entire afternoon holed up inside your cabin with you, doing fucking God knows what? The same Rey who said she cared about you and wanted to help you?"

Ben scoffed. He knew Poe was right, and he hated himself for constantly doubting Rey's affection for him. Waking these past few mornings with her curled like a feline in his lap should have made this easier on him. And recalling those intimate moments they shared in the morning or late at night before sleep. He remembered then he had done this for her because he loved her, to prove that he trusted her.

This scavenger from Jakku had utterly bewitched him—mind, body, and soul. Now that she was in his life, he just couldn't imagine it without her. "You're right," the captain winced.

"I know I am," Poe smirked. "Isn't that why I'm here—to make sure your ass stays in-line?" Ben snorted and nodded. He had always been a sound voice of reason, even when his own relationship had taken a plunge into the garbage heap. "I'm gonna get myself some grub. Quit worrying, alright?"

Easier said than done, Ben thought, watching Poe leave. Although no sooner than his friend was enveloped by shadows in the stairwell, that little rowboat he had been waiting so anxiously for came into view, its passenger rowing towards the Silencer from the port.

Rey...

A sigh of relief escaped him before the smile surfaced on his lips. He met her at the ledge where a rope ladder was dangling from, offering assistance when she gave him the box containing her purchases from the Batuu marketplace. Setting it aside on the floor, he helped her clamber over the ledge. The second her soles were planted on the floorboards, his hand cupped her jaw and he kissed her as if years had gone by without her rather than hours. And every time he found it was becoming increasingly harder not to say he loved her.

Looping her arms around his neck, she sighed contentedly and purred against his lips. If it hadn't been for the fact he was planning a romantic evening under the stars with music for the two of them, once the sun had set completely, he would have carried her to the cabin and enacted on those sinful thoughts crossing his mind.

It was Rey who caved first and broke the kiss, panting. He was thankful at least one of them had mustered the strength to do so then. "Miss me?" she asked, almost teasingly.

"You have no idea," he crooned in response. To what extent, however, he decided to keep to himself. He wasn't that stupid to admit he had been on the brink of suffering a nervous breakdown earlier.

Grinning ear to ear, Rey pressed a soft peck to his lips and pulled away. "Saw an old friend of yours today," she declared, bending her knees to retrieve the boutique box Ben had propped against the hull. Leaning back on her heels, she lifted the lid far enough off so that only she was able to peer inside. "She said to tell you hi and that she's happy you're okay."

Ben grunted. "I take it you met Zorii then," he noted. They had known each other ever since he and his mother started visiting Batuu, precisely when he had been that lanky sixteen-year-old boy, with a nose and ears he hadn't grown into yet. And it was Ben who had introduced Zorii to Poe. "God," he blinked. "It's been...years since I've seen her."

"She was nice, helped me pick some things out in her shop. And she also might have mentioned a thing or two about you," said Rey, sparing a glance up at him through her lashes as she slipped a hand inside her trouser pocket for his coin pouch. His wonder as to what she was doing was swapped with dread. Wearing a scowl, he begged, under his breath, to whatever gods were watching over them that Zorii hadn't divulged anything too embarrassing.

"Anyways, I um..." Sealing the lid onto the box, Rey rose to her full height and handed the leather pouch to Ben. "I bought you something. And before you say no, I got myself one too. But it also goes along with your second surprise for tonight," she beamed. "Open it."

Ben was apprehensive, but he accepted it. She'd already given him more than enough as it was, and the last thing he had wanted her to do was to spend money on him when he had gifted it to her. A dozen or more suspicions churned in his head while his claw uncinched its leather drawstring: none of those guesses had been of a silver locket that tumbled into his palm, shaped like a phoenix.

"There's a music box inside that plays when you open it," she gleefully explained. "I suppose it might sound a bit cheesy to a guy, but...I know you love music. I figured with what we've been through in our lives it was kinda—I don't know. Us ?"

Ben smiled. With his thumb, he opened the locket and the soothing lullaby began to play. It reminded him of the melodies his mother would sing to him whenever he woke from a nightmare as a boy. He missed her terribly. "It's not cheesy," he said, his voice laden with an emotion he couldn't quite peg. "It's—it's perfect."

"Yeah?" she queried softly. "So you like it?"

"I do," he assured. He let the music play a little longer before closing the cap, allowing a front tentacle to grab the trinket and pass it to a tentacle in the back, ending up next to the appendage clutching the key to his heart. "Thank you," he whispered, ducking his head for a kiss, hand reaching for hers.

"You're welcome," she murmured, stealing another kiss. "I have one more thing to do before you show me what it is you wanted to show me tonight but first, I have a message for Poe—from Zorii. Give me a few minutes, okay?"

"Sure," Ben nodded. "You still have plenty of time."

And perhaps, while waiting, he could assemble the courage to tell her later he was in love with her.