AN: Here is some concept art I did about Hades and Persephone. I see a lot of Hades and Persephone in Kylo and Rey. :)

On to the chapter!

Chapter Eight

Rey POV:

They were enemies--she knew that. And yet she knew that she had betrayed him. They had become allies, thrown together in such a way that forced them to work together. And she had betrayed his trust. Rey shook her head. Should she have told him of her mission? If she had, would he have gone with her?

Perhaps she made the right choice. By not telling him of her mission, she had ensured his trust. And Kylo Ren--Ben Solo, whoever he was--had trusted her.

They had spoken like companions in the Tie Fighter, as she flew them to her home. And they had been so close; his breath had been tickling her neck. And Rey had not minded their nearness. She took comfort in knowing he was right there, right behind her, ready to protect them with the guns he wielded.

Time had slowed down as General Leia's voice came through the tiny handheld device Rey had stashed away. Rey's heart had sunk as Leia spoke. Because right behind her, so very close, was Leia's son. And for a time, she could feel his joy.

But then rage replaced joy. He had been angry with her. He still was angry with her.

Hours had passed, and yet they had not moved from the Tie Fighter. Hours had passed, and yet they had not spoken. But they were human, and humans need nourishment. Swallowing hard, Rey stood up from the sand, brushing the fine grains from her clothing.

She walked around the tail of the Fighter, to the left side where Ben had sat. And there he was, standing. He turned when she neared, and his features were soft, his face relaxed. His hands, which had once held her close were unclenched by his sides. He looked at her. Blinked. And then he turned away, his face hardening.

"We need food," Rey stated, walking closer.

"I don't have any, Rey," he responded gruffly, not bothering to turn and face her.

Rey almost laughed. He assumed that she was asking him to get food. "I know. I wouldn't expect you to. But I can get us some. It'll take about an hour or so."

"Where will you go?"

Rey swallowed. The question was dry, and there was no emotion behind it. "There's a junk trader called Unkar Plutt. I'm a scavenger. I bring him things, and I get food in exchange."

As soon as the spoke, Rey's heart rate sped up. Because she remembered exactly what she had stolen from Unkar. Surely he would be angry that she had taken the Millennium Falcon from him. Perhaps he would not give her food for what she brought. But either way, they had to eat. She had to try.

"Is it safe?" He asked.

She paused, contemplating not lying. She had already been untruthful with him, broken his trust. Words flew from her mouth before she realized what she was saying. "Of course. I've been doing this all my life."

"Do you need me to go with you?" He asked, the words almost forced.

Rey shook her head. He would only slow her down. "Stay here. I'll be back soon."

He gave no response, ignoring her like they were children. Rey turned around and, grabbing items from the Tie Fighter she knew would bring a good price (without hindering their ability to fly), walked down the dune they had landed on. The sand was hot and she was thirsty, but she was used to both feelings. She almost . . . relished in feeling that way. She had missed her home.

Twenty minutes later, Rey walked into the market she had often come to, time and time again her whole life. She switched the bag she was carrying to her other shoulder and continued walking between the stalls. People called out prices for their merchandise, trying to tempt her into buying something.

Rey did not stop, although they were as desperate as her to survive. She was not here to buy. She was here to trade.

At last she stood at the back of the line, full of people waiting to trade their junk to the trader. Rey's heart sped up, pulsing faster and faster. Now that she was here, facing the person she had stolen from, asking for a trade, she could not help the waves of trepidation that washed over her.

She was at the front of the line.

"Are you going?" Someone gruffly asked behind her. Rey could only nod and step forward.

She waited only a half a second before Unkar was turning around, looking her up and down. And then. "You," he spat.

Rey lifted up her hands, surrendering. "Look, I didn't know that ship was yours. I don't want any trouble. All I want is to trade. I've got two people I need to feed today."

Unkar chuckled deeply, falsely. He was not happy. "Two people? Do you think I care about the business of a thief?"

"I have something that may be of interest to you," Rey responded, lifting the bag from her shoulder, and showing him the contents.

Unkar paused, glaring darkly. Rey shivered--she couldn't help it. Unkar was known for his unfair deals. But he was greedy, and his beady eyes lit up when he saw what she held up. He reached out, ready to take it from her, but Rey pulled it back. Shook her head.

"That's a First Order radio," Unkar stated greedily.

Rey nodded. She had pulled it from the stormtrooper helmet. She knew how valuable it was. The wiring and the programming involved were incredibly complex. This should be able to feed her and Ben for days. "Do we have a deal?"

Unkar nodded solemnly, but there was something else in his eyes--a darkness that was not unfamiliar to Rey. A small smile crossed his face. "Four portions."

Rey's eyebrows shot up. "Four? This is worth at least--"

"You stole my ship," Unkar spat. "Four portions or nothing. Unless you can give me my ship back?"

Rey pursed her lips. There was so much she wanted to say, but right now, she had to focus on the task at hand--bringing food back. "Here."

Unkar slammed four portions on the table in front of her, and she took them quickly, before he changed his mind. Relief flooded her. Perhaps he was not as unforgiving as she had thought. She was only a few paces away from his stall.

And. Then. "After that girl!" Unkar was shouting and pointing and commanding his workers to run after her.

Rey's heart shot to her throat. She was running, faster and faster, and turning through the market, trying to lose them. But there had to be half a dozen of them, all taller and bigger than her. And in that moment, Rey regretted stopping Ben from coming with her.

True. She could use the Force on them. But surely that would get her into more trouble. She ran.

Rey blinked. Hard. One was right behind her. She could not outrun these men. Rey reached across her back, preparing to pull out her staff. But her staff was not there. She was unarmed and he was right behind her.

Rey sensed his punch before it came. She grabbed his fist, twisting his hand. But his hand was bigger than hers. He was stronger than she was.

Suddenly the man was on top of her, trying to hold her down. Rey beat him with her fists. But then her fists were being held down too. She could barely move. "Look what I caught," the man spat, grinning.

Rey's mind spun. She could not get out of this. Ben! she screamed in her mind. Come to the market place, Ben!

The man was hauling her to her feet, and two more grabbed onto her. She kicked and struggled. Ben! she screamed once more.

I'm here, he replied at last, his voice flooding her mind. I'm coming. In that moment, with his voice in her head and her captors surrounding her, Rey had never felt more relieved.

After all she had done to him, Ben was coming after her. But surely he wouldn't get here in time. The Tie Fighter was a mile and a half away. Rey kicked and tried to escape. But the grip of her captors was relentless. Rey's heart sank as they dragged her along. He wasn't going to get there in time.

And then. Just as she was about to try to escape one more time, one of the men let go of her arm with a startled cry.

Rey, surprised, turned to look. And there was Ben, eyes alight with fury, grabbing the man by the shirt and pulling him to his toes. For half a second Rey thought he would let the man go. But then, with a wide swoop of Ben's right fist, the man crumpled to the dust.

The other men stood, shocked at what had happened. Rey didn't let the opportunity slip away. She slithered from their grasp, kicking the man who had grabbed her first in the back of the knees and forcing him into the dust.

Rey turned, looking for Ben. He was already on top of one of the other men, throwing punches and struggling for domination. Half of the group had already run, disappearing into the crowds.

The man, with a great burst of energy, throttled Ben in the jaw, knocking him back. The man stood up, ready to fight, and Ben was already on his feet. Blood formed, dripping from Ben's mouth.

The fight was evenly matched. Although Ben surely could have used the Force and ended things quickly, he knew as well as she that would only endanger them both. He rolled over, narrowly missing the foot of the other man.

Rey screamed his name.

Sweat rolled down Ben's face as he stood, a clay pot from one of the stalls in his hand. And with a great swing and a loud crash, the man collapsed.

"We've got to go!" Rey yelled at him.

He nodded, running after her. The crowds parted ways for them, murmurs passing back and forth. And somewhere in the distance, Rey swore she heard the voice of Unkar, saying that this wasn't the last time they would meet.

Ben grabbed her arm, pulling her along after him. And they ran, up the dunes and across the desert, sweat forming in beads on their skin. A quarter of a mile from the Fighter, they slowed. Stopped and caught their breath.

"You came," Rey stated.

He turned and looked her in the eyes, so deeply Rey's heart ached. "You called."

---

Night in the desert was cold. Rey shivered, even in her jacket and wrapped in a blanket. They could not build a fire. Not out here where anyone could see.

They had eaten in silence. Somehow, neither of them could find words. But Rey was tired of the silence. She had to say something to him--the man who saved her, even after she betrayed him.

"You're staring," Ben stated without turning to look at her. At last he did, moonlight bouncing off his face. The corner of his mouth turned up, and even as he did so, he winced. Rey had forgotten.

"You're hurt." Her mind, her feet, her heart, were all calling her to move closer. At last she did. Folding her legs underneath her and sitting next to him, she looked back up at the bruise and the cut that had formed.

"I'm fine, Rey," he told her gently. "Are you? Hurt I mean."

Rey shook her head, swallowing. They both knew that she could have been.

"I could've killed them, Rey. I came so close, and I didn't care what would have happened."

Rey did not respond for some time. The emotion that filled his voice made her pause. No one had ever saved her in the way he had. "How did you get there so quickly, anyway?" She asked at last.

"I left about ten minutes after you did. Something didn't feel right about letting you go off on your own."

"You followed me?"

Ben nodded. "I'm glad I did. I saw what was in that man's mind." He paused, meeting her eyes. "He was going to kill you Rey, or worse."

Rey didn't know what to say. She didn't know how to thank him. So she merely looked at him--at the man who must have hated her, at the man who saved her. "You're bleeding," she said instead, her voice cracking at the end.

Ben furrowed his brow and raised two fingers to his cheek. The pads of his fingers came away wet with blood. "I can fix it," he told her.

Rey's tongue moved before her mind caught up to it. "Let me," she said. "I got you into that fight anyway. It's the least I can do."

Ben looked deep into her eyes, searching. At last he nodded. He sat still, impossibly still, as she came closer, kneeling right in front of him. Their knees brushed.

Rey reached her hand up and, slowly but surely, took his injured cheek in her palm. Ben held still. She held still. This was the closest they had ever been, in the desert with silence surrounding them.

His dark eyes watched her as she closed her own, focusing. But it was hard. They were so close. His hair tickled her fingertips. His skin was warm underneath her own. And somehow, it felt normal.

Somehow, it felt impossibly . . . good.

Rey could feel the skin underneath her palm knitting itself together. She could feel the blood disappearing. And at last there was no wound. Her power had healed it. His bruise was gone. The blood was gone. It was done and Rey could not find it in herself to move.

She opened her eyes and swallowed. "I think it worked." She did not move her hand. She could not move it.

"Yes," he responded, his voice low and husky. He covered her hand with his own, holding her there. As if she would have let go.

They were close--impossibly close. She could nearly feel his breath. He gripped her hand, holding it tighter to his face, and looked down at her. Somehow, the distance between them had shrunk. "You're supposed to hate me," Rey stated softly.

He shook his head. "I could never hate you."

Their noses inches apart, his breath tickling her cheeks, she whispered, "If you're going to kiss me, do it."

Ben blinked and came closer. She came closer. Time paused as he leaned in. But then, with a small sigh, he brought his lips up to her forehead, burning her cold skin with his hot mouth.

They stayed there, impossibly close. At last he pulled away. "Goodnight Rey."

She could only mumble it back as she stood. Rey walked away, to the other side of the Fighter. And even as she laid down in the sand to sleep, she could feel his lips on her skin.

He had branded himself on her, hot on her cool skin. And it burned because she knew it would never happen again. Not when the sun was up. Not when darkness did not surround them.

Things seemed to happen at night that never happened in the day.

At last Rey let the night consume her, sweeping her away into sleep.

AN: Hello, my amazing readers! I hope you've had an excellent day!

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