Shared Vision

Chapter 2 "Old Friends"

REY:

Rey woke to the warm comfort of Finn's jacket spread over her. He was seated at the table across from her, leaning on one elbow and poring over a halo screen. He noticed her stirring and abandoned the instrument so he could kneel in front of her. They stared at each other for a moment, relieved smiles creasing both of their faces.

"You're up early" Rey teased.

Finn chuckled. "Storm Troopers work long hours."

Rey raised an eyebrow, "Are you implying Jedi do not?" She grinned at him mischievously.

Finn turned serious. "So it's true? You've been training with Luke Skywalker?"

He had lowered his voice conspiritorially, though it did not seem to be a secret.  Rey looked to the floor and nodded slowly, her eyes shimmering as she remembered that Luke was gone.

"Rey, are you a Jedi?"

Rey's face darkened as she looked back at Finn. Her immediate thought was no. In truth, she didn't really know what the definition of a Jedi was. Just being able to use the force didn't make you a Jedi. Having someone teach you to breathe, meditate, and reach out in a way that you never have before didn't make you a Jedi, either.

"To be honest, I'm not sure."

Finn frowned but waited for her to finish.

"Luke... didn't want to train me...He had isolated himself from the force...
I spent most of my time on that island trying to convince him help the resistance, and the rest stumbling across secrets."

Finn stared intently. "Secrets?"

Rey shifted. Looking into Finn's unguarded face, she wanted to confess everything. To lay bare to him the complexities that she was just beginning to grasp. But the yearning to unburden herself was quickly sheathed by a flurry of realization. Doing so would put him in jeapordy. Finn's instinct to protect had not only overpowered the First Order's conditioning, but caused him to put himself in harm's way over and over again to safeguard her and their friends in the resistance. He showed such disregard for his own well being whenever one of them had been threatened, it was a miracle he hadn't already been killed. He would never be at peace with the knowledge that she had thrust herself into heart of the enemy, based on nothing more than intuition. Even force based intuition would not justify such actions in his mind. If he thought she was likely to do something similarly risky, he might very well get himself killed trying to stop her.

Rey felt a sudden piercing guilt. Until then, she hadn't considered how much her actions could hurt Finn. Casting herself headlong at the most evil being in the galaxy, she had shown little appreciation for the fight Finn had put up to defend her on Star Killer Base. Her stomach curtled at her lack of gratitude. She had behaved disrespectfully toward her friend's sacrifice, and had gained little more than a stalemate. Snoke was dead, but so was Luke.

Beyond that, her connection with Ben seemed far too intimate to be discussed offhandedly. Luke had been the most likely person to understand a force bond, and she hadn't felt comfortable discussing it even with him. So, in the end, what she told Finn was an abridged version of the truth.

She described the brief lessons Luke had given her, and her confusion at his contradictory statements. 'The force doesn't belong to the Jedi... there must be balance... but don't go anywhere near the dark.' How he agreed to teach her, but wouldn't let her read the Jedi texts. She finished with a very glossed over adaptation of how she and Chewie came to meet up with what was left of the Resistance.

Finn listened, absorbed in the narrative, then nodded distractedly as he stared at the floor. Rey could feel the questions welling up in him.

"Luke is... dead, Finn." She added hurriedly.

This effectively broke his reverie as he returned his attention to her.

"I felt him pass as we were jumping to lightspeed."

She let her head fall dejectedly back against the wall.

"I don't know what to do. The resistance needed him, not me."

Finn put a reassuring hand on her arm.

"These people have lost almost everything. Right now, they don't need a legendary savior. They just need hope."

Rey could feel how genuine his words were. She put her hand over his and nodded, feeling slightly bolstered. Finn looked down at her touch and noticed the gash on her shoulder from the fight with the Praetorian Guard. Again, she could sense his emotions. He was puzzled, there were obvious signs of battle on her, and a glaring lack of conflict in the story she had just presented him with. She also felt the resolve form in him, an appendage of trust sweeping the nagging concerns aside just as an arm shoves clutter from atop a desk. She had never been so grateful.

"Come on."

Finn took both her hands and pulled her to a stand.

"You need to get cleaned up, the General is going to want to talk to you."

Rey padded off to the refresher, stopping to pick up some clean clothes. She bathed as long as she dared, letting the heat loosen her aching muscles. Staring into the mirror, her mind wandered to Ben, and she hurried to finish before a mountain of emotion could avalanche over her. Finn was waiting in the hall with a cup of steaming liquid. He handed her the beverage and led her back to the med bay.

"No med droids, but I think I can patch up that slice on your shoulder."

Rey just stared for a moment as Finn gather supplies. Finn glanced back and then gestured toward the lounge.

"If I managed this with an angry wookie during a firefight, I think I can fit you with a workable field dressing now."

Rey took a seat and watched in amazement as Finn slipped the sleeve of her tunic off her shoulder and started ministering to the painful red gouge. He actually seemed to know what he was doing, taking time first to spray the wound with an anesthetic that spread warm relief all the way down her arm. She hadn't realized how tense the pain had made her until it was gone. Now the in the comfort of Finn's care, she closed her eyes and breathed. Without even thinking, she stretched out with her feelings, taking in her surroundings. She could see the worn controls to the lounge, the struggling lights above her. She could sense the depleted supplies in the storage cabinets and their rusted latches. And Finn, with her eyes still closed, she could feel his presence. He glowed a soft orange color, exuding gentleness. As she turned her attention more fully to him, she could even hear the sigh of his thoughts as he worked. ...obviously not... of blaster...like an electroweapon... not telling me... overlaying these thoughts was a hazy memory, one that she recognized, of herself answering a personal question with "None of your business!"

Realization washed over her. Finn knew she was keeping something from him, but rather than turning to suspicion and distrust, he was giving her the benefit of the doubt, choosing to believe that she had credible reason for witholding the information. And there too, his decision was laced with memory, how he had concealed his own identity from Rey, and when he finally did divulge it, she had not held the deceit against him. Rey felt a slight lump in her throat. She resolved to never take Finn for granted. She didn't deserve a friend so effervescent with light. Something pinged in the back of her mind at this, but she didn't have a chance to contemplate it. Finn had just finished treating her arm and she opened her eyes to see him slowly pulling the sleeve of her tunic back over the bandage. When it was in place, his hands lingered, one gently cupping her arm, the other resting on her collarbone. Finn swallowed conscientiously as they locked eyes, both of them recognizing the sudden intimacy of the situation. Finn's energy seemed to deepen in color, and Rey felt a pull toward him. But before the moment had even taken shape, a communicator at Finn's side beeped and the tension between them dissipated.

Finn stepped back from the lounge to unclip the communicator and turned away from Rey to speak into it. It was Poe, asking Finn where he was and if he had seen Rey. Finn confirmed that they were together and heading up to see the General. Poe signed off, and Finn turned to find Rey already sliding off the lounge and heading toward the door.