The Balance Between Us - A Reylo

Chapter 27

Ben

I held Rey close to my chest as I walked up the staircase with Finn ranting behind me.

Kerra came out of a room trailed by Venus. "What happened?"

"She fainted." I told her gruffly.

Venus pointed her finger behind me at Finn, "What did he do to Mama?"

"I didn't do anything, I swear." I heard Finn say.

"I'll get a cloth, Ben you rest her on the bed." Kerra ordered.

"What can I do?"

"You've done enough." I growled causing Finn to take a step back like the cowardly traitor that he is.

Kerra came forward and looked at Finn, "Nothing. If you want to be useful, you'll go back to the Resistance and say nothing of us here."

"No! I'm not going back. I came to help Rey. I am not leaving."

"Then wait downstairs." I could sense Kerra was growing irritated by Finn's inability to comply. "Come on."

I followed her inside and took Rey straight to the bed resting her there gently. Her chest rose in steady breaths and the small swell of her stomach seemed more prominent now. Kerra came back in with the cloth, "This stress is dangerous for her especially as she can't hold anything down."

"Is there no medicine she can take to ease the sickness?"

Kerra looked at me. "No. It's this bad because she is carrying twins."

I stepped back in shock. Two as opposed to one. There was no way in hell I could do that. "D... does she know?"

Kerra shook her head fervently. "No. I wasn't sure myself at first but I searched the Force and found the other. If you do the same you'll find them."

I didn't want to, too frightened to admit the feeling I had felt. Nevertheless, I obliged and looked inside the Force, sure enough I felt two heartbeats residing inside of Rey plus her own. Pulling away quickly and breathing heavily, my knees buckled and I fell in on myself. I couldn't do this! Even one is an ask, but two... They wouldn't want me as a father. I'd be better off hunting the Knights down and eliminating them, not raising a family who would want nothing to do with me. 

Kerra

I looked at Ben's ashen face. All his thoughts and ruminations were loud and making them known to me. His panic, self doubt and loathing... All of it.

My legs carried me round the bed and I knelt down to Ben's level and slapped him hard round the face.

"What the maker was that for?" He shouted cradling his red cheek and bruised ego.

I rolled my eyes. "Don't you dare use your actions in the past to justify leaving your family! Those Knights, they will come here. I've seen it and if you leave, you condemn your family to the grave. Rey needs you, Venus needs you, the twins need you."

"And you?"

"Like Rey, I can handle myself. I've always survived on my own, I don't need a man to protect me." I was stern and serious.

Ben seemed to pull himself together and snap out of his trance. He got up and began to help me. 

Finn

The little blonde girl had followed me into a large room filled to the brim with books, I could only assume it to be a library. I wondered around the table looking at the piles of parchment, each were filled with letters and diary entries and some poetry.

"Who writes all these?"

"Papa is teaching me." The girl's tone was clipped and grilling. Her green eyes conveyed not one single ounce of warmth towards me.

I looked at her closely, Kylo Ren was old enough to have children and she had called Rey 'mama'. Yet, this girl of about seven looked nothing like either of them. As if seeming to understand my accusatory glare, the girl spoke. "My name is Venus and they adopted me. I chose my family and they chose me!"

"Do you know the things he has done?"

Venus crossed her arms over her chest and huffed out her response, "Papa has already told me he is not worthy of my love."

Sensing it wasn't my place to disrupt Venus' happiness with a harsh truth, I kept my mouth shut. My vendetta was against Kylo Ren not Venus. And my main concern was why he was hiding out in Varykino with Rey and Kerra. "He got that right!"

"I don't care what is wrong with you and Papa. He loves me, he loves Mama and he loves Baby!" Venus snapped.

My eyes widened at the last word that emptied from her mouth. "Baby?" I questioned not so delicately.

Venus recoiled realising her mistake, I had gotten under her skin and she had tripped on the secrets of why Kylo Ren was truly here. Before I could question her further, she was out of the room leaving me with the sound of silence and her small feet thundering up the stairs and a door slamming shut.

Rey

My head was pounding and I felt sick to the core. I lurched up and threw my head over the side of my... bed? How did I get here? The thought didn't have enough time to produce an answer as a second wave of vomit spilled from my mouth.

"Rey? Rey, are you alright?" It was Ben's voice soft and soothing.

I leaned back when I was sure the contents of my stomach had been completely emptied. "What happened?"

"You fainted... After arguing with Finn."

I scrunched up my brows. "Finn?"

"Yes, Finn." Ben sounded more concerned than usual.

I looked up at him. "What's happened?"

He looked away from me. I looked around the room and saw Venus sat on the chair in the corner. Her eyes were low caste and her aura seemed guilt ridden. "I didn't mean to tell him, I was protecting Papa."

"He knows you're pregnant, Rey." Ben confirmed still not looking at me.

"I'm sorry, Mama."

I hung my own head low, I would have wanted to tell Finn myself in my own time. "It doesn't matter. It had to happen sooner or later. Don't be sorry." I told Venus. "Come here." Venus hopped off of the chair she had been sat on and clambered onto the bed, crawling up to me cautiously. My arms engulfed her in a tight hug and soothed down her hair. "You don't have to be sorry, Venus, do you understand?" I felt her nod her head and Ben's arms snake around us too.

"We have to keep Baby safe now more than ever."