The X-Wing touched down on Ajan Kloss not long after. Ben could see out the window the hundreds of resistance fighters celebrating on the ground. There was cheering and hugging and crying. Ben thought it was a strange sight. They won the war but also killed millions of people in the process, First Order or not, they were people. A bit hypocritical, he thought.
Anxiety began to swell in his chest when the hood of the X-Wing lifted off. It was time for him to face the Resistance.

"Common Ben." Rey smiled and reached her hand out for his. "Don't worry, none of these people know who you are. They've never seen your face."

Bens chest relaxed. She was right. He could walk through this crowd and not a single person would know who he is. Rey is the only one who's seen his face. Ben grabbed her hand and hopped down from the cock pit.

BB8 practically slammed its body into Rey's legs. She bent down and smoothed her hands over his round body. He seemed to be totally in tact. She was pleased the battle didn't take its toll on her small droid friend.

Rey weaved her way through the crowd with Ben following closely behind. He wasn't sure how to act or feel. This was one of the first times he's walked through a crowd of people without a helmet on. Resistance fighters accidentally bumped shoulders with him and brushed passed him, paying no mind to who he was. He was just a face in the crowd.

Ben stopped when he saw Rey sprint ahead. She embraced her two best friends about 10 yards in front of him. If anyone was going to know who he was it would be the Resistance pilot and the deserter Stormtrooper. He watched as they all laughed and squeezed each other. Pure joy on all of their faces. He crossed his arms over his chest while a pilot walked passed him and said,

"We did it!"

He chuckled at the interaction.

When Ben looked back at the three before him, he was startled by the deserter Stormtrooper running towards him. He took a defensive step back and tried to not draw attention to what was unfolding in front of him.

The deserter had an expression of pure hatred. Not only that, but Ben could feel the disgust radiating from within him. Ben was brought back to the reality of who he was, and what he had done.

Rey caught up to Finn and put her hand on his shoulder, stopping him before he could reach Ben. Poe was following closely behind, a similar look of hatred on his face.

"Finn, stop!" Rey said harshly, "We need to go talk. All of us."

The four of them settled into a secluded meeting room by the command tower. The celebrations raged beyond the room but the four of them were only focused on the situation in front of them.

"Tell me exactly what happened on that planet!" Finn shouted at Rey, "I need to know what possibly could have made you bring back...."

"Finn..." Poe interjected,

"This piece of human garbage!" Finn finished his statement anyways.

Rey looked down at her hands that were beginning to shake. She was torn. She knew why Finn felt the way he did. She also knew she would have a hell of a time explaining what changed with Ben.

She looked at the faces around the room. Ben was pushed a foot away from the table, his arms crossed against him chest and his ankle over his knee. His expression was stoic. He looked at his foot instead of at the people before him. If he looked at the others he risked letting his emotions run rampant. He needed to stay calm if this talk was to go well.

Poe was concerned more than anything. He was open to hearing what Ben had to say for himself but hesitant to trust him. He needed to hear the truth straight from Rey if he was going to allow Ben in.

Finn was pure anger. Rey could hear his heart pounding in his chest. Finn didn't trust Ben for a moment. He was angry Rey brought him here and even angrier Ben was still alive. He thought for sure he would have been on the command ship that he had destroyed an hour ago. Finn was barely willing to listen to Ben, he needed to hear it all from Rey.

Rey cleared her throat. "That isn't very nice." She said calmly. Ben smiled.

"Nice?" Finn slammed a hand on the table, "Why would I be worried about being nice?"

Poe put his hand on Finns shoulder. "Let's listen to what they have to say Finn. We have to."

Rey nodded at Poe, silently thanking him. She looked at Ben and offered a smile that said 'trust me'.

"When I first arrived to Exegol I was alone, on my way to face the Emperor." Rey began.

She talked for almost and hour. Not sparring a detail. Thankfully Poe and Finn listened. Ben sat quietly only interjecting to share the moments Rey was passed out or dead. They explained every moment since arriving on Exegol... excluding the kiss. Rey relived every emotion while retelling. She relived dying. Relived Ben dying. Tears brimmed on her eyes at times, unable to explain in full detail without letting one slip out.

"How can we be sure?" Poe finally said a minute after Rey finished.

"Of what?" Rey asked,

"That Kylo Ren is dead." Poe looked hesitantly at the black figure, arms still crossed.

"I think you'll just have to trust me on that." Rey said biting her lip. "I don't know how to tell you I know. But I do. And if anything were to happen, I would take responsibility for him." She looked at Ben, his face exhausted and stoic, "Id bet my life on him being pure of heart."

"Bullshit." Finn spat, "he's a soulless killer! He's murdered thousands on innocents!"

"I don't think you'll ever trust me Stormtrooper." Ben said, avoiding eye contact, "So you'll just have to trust Rey."

Finn stood up from the table and pointed his finger at Ben, "I am not a Stormtrooper! And no! I never will!"

Poe stood with Finn and said firmly, "I think you should go Finn."

"What?" Finn gasped,

"I understand your emotions, but you can't deal with this right now. You're acting with emotions first and we can't afford that. Go celebrate, let me stay here a moment longer. General Organa always listened to what people had to say... her son isn't an exception to that."

Finns chest tightened. General Organa's son... that didn't even feel right. Finn looked at Ben Solo and frowned. That is her son.

"Fine." Finn said before walking off.

Once he was out of ear shot Ben finally made eye contact with Poe Dameron, "You're a good diplomat. Smarter than you let on. My mother was wise to choose you."

Poe furrowed his brows. He wasn't expecting a compliment.

Rey sighed. Finn would take some time to warm up, but he would.

The three of them continued to talk a while longer about keeping Bens identify a secret from the Resistance fighters for now. It would be too challenging to explain the entire situation to all of them. The risk of them not accepting him is too high. For now, Ben Solo wouldn't reveal his identity. He was just another Resistance fighter that no one had noticed before. Poe was still hesitant but trusted Rey's decisions. He also trusted the blood that ran through Ben Solos veins.

After the celebrations had settled and people began returning to their quarters, Poe, Rey and Ben also finished their talk. There was still a lot to discuss between them and a lot for Poe to think about. He wasn't quite sure where to go with the Resistance now that the war was over and he wasn't sure what kind of role Ben Solo played in that. For now he wanted Ben to stay out of the way and have his identity remain hidden.

Ben also wanted to stay out of the way for now. His ill feelings towards the Resistance still lingered in the back of his mind despite never really caring about the war. The war was more about Rey than anything else to him. World domination was a distant second to joining forces with Rey. He needed time to figure out who Ben Solo was and what life he would live outside of the First Order. He also wanted time with Rey. Being a dyad meant he knew her soul like his own... but at the same time he didn't know anything about her. For example, he knew what she was thinking by the ripples in the force around her, but he didn't know what her favorite color was.

Rey on the other hand felt more calm than ever. Her path in life was more clear than ever. She was excited for the future ahead of her and no longer felt the aching fear that's lived inside of her for so long. Her fears of who she was and the power she possessed was long gone. Rey began embracing who she was... not as a Palpatine, but as Rey. Just Rey. It was time for her to define who she was not based on her blood but by her heart.

Rey tapped Bens arm when they stood from the table and motioned for him to follow. She was starving and was very much looking forward to the celebratory feast she could already smell. She hadn't eaten since she visited Luke Skywalker and took his X-Wing. She caught a fish and ate it while Master Skywalker lectured her about being safe with the X-Wing. That must have been... 12 hours ago now. She needed to eat something and then immediately go to sleep.

Rey lead Ben silently down a beaten dirt path through the woods. Away from where all the pilots parked and where Resistance command operated, there was an overgrown building that housed the mess hall and several smaller rooms they used for housing. Most Resistance fighters slept on their ship, Rey included, she lived on the Falcon, but the others had small rooms off the main building that they had been living in for almost a year.

The building was originally stone but the forest had overtaken some of it, leaving all the walls lined with tree branches and shrubbery. It was charming, actually. Rey loved to see all the green.

The mess hall was as lively as ever. People were laughing and cheering while enjoying their meals and drinks. Rey and Ben got in a line with the rest of the fighters. Ben thought it was odd to see such normalcy. He hasn't eaten with other people in years let alone eaten in a mess hall. Now that he thought about it, the stormtroopers ate in a mess hall. But he had never gone into it.

Ben and Rey held out plates as a group of older women of all races filled them with foods from all over the galaxy. Ben didn't recognize most of the foods but his mouth was still watering at the sight. Rey graciously thanked each woman. They all looked and thanked her like the hero she was. Ben liked seeing her treated like that.

"Do you want one?" Rey asked. Ben blinked at her, unaware of what she was regrading. He looked down and saw she was holding two ale bottles. He hadn't drank alcohol since he joined the First Order. The Order was actually completely dry- there was no alcohol allowed on any vessel and those who offended that rule were executed.

"Sure." Ben said.

They weaved through crowds of people who all patted Rey on the back as she passed. Many clinked bottles with her unopened ale as well. Meanwhile they payed no attention to Ben. People let him pass but not another glance was directed towards him. It was one of the most liberating feelings to be nobody.

Without having to discuss it, Rey lead them back to the Falcon. Rey usually ate alone anyways but especially now, she needed another moment alone with Ben.

Rey let out a sigh of relief when the Falcon came into view,

"Oh thank god!" She exclaimed,

"Hm?" Ben asked.

"The Falcon looks completely untouched! It's amazing. Part of me was afraid I'd come back to a pile of scrap metal."

"I guess the Wookie does all right on his own." Ben murmured, attempting to comment on it without bringing up soar wounds of his father. Rey turned to him and smiled,

"No, not alone." She said cheekily, "Lando Calrissian came back to fight."

Bens heart slowed and his palms began to sweat, "Calrissian is here?"

Rey nodded eagerly.

Before he could mention another word about him, Calrissian himself stepped out from behind the Falcons ramp. He stood beside the entrance with his arms crossed, staring intently at Ben. Bens feet were frozen to the ground as he allowed Calrissian to analyze him. 

"So?" Lando started, breaking out into a sly smirk, "Is it true? Did the Son of Han and Leia really come back to fight alongside the Resistance Jedi?"

Rey looked between them and smiled, she could feel the familiarity. Furthermore she could feel no judgment from Lando. Instead he felt welcoming and relieved. She ran over and gave him a side hug with her free arm.

"That was good fightin' out there girl." Lando said into her ear,

"I'm so thankful for you to have come back." Rey said, "Thank you."

A moment later Ben had found his way to standing right in front of them. His lip quivered as he looked at his fathers best friend. Memories from his childhood flew freely into his mind. Lando was around a lot when Ben was just a boy. He knew him well. He was more of an uncle to him than Luke Skywalker ever was.

"Ben." Lando grinned, "Let me be the first to tell you that Solos are great at changing their mind on a dime. It doesn't matter what your past is... what matters now is how you make up for it." Lando placed a firm and solid hand on Bens shoulder and squeezed it. "I trust you're here for the right reasons, and I'm damn happy to see you again."