I Can Get It Back

Borders They Divide But I'm Inclined to Cut Across

"We have the rope, if you need it," Rey offered, and began climbing herself to fasten it somewhere further up.

"That's how you came down here?" Ben wanted to know, sounding dubious, and she paused.

"Yes. Why?"

He looked around, frowning slightly. Rey lifted her saber to give him more light. His search took him against the far wall, and he motioned toward something. "It's a moving platform. I used it to get down the first time," he explained.

Jumping back to the ground, Rey hurried over to investigate. "Not the second time?" she wanted to know.

"I didn't want to wait for it," he replied, glancing at her in a way that made the heat return to her face.

She swallowed. "Thank you – your haste was appreciated." She was aware of Finn and Rose exchanging a confused glance and she grinned at them. "He was coming to rescue me," she explained.

"Then we all owe you a debt," Rose said and Finn nodded, both very serious. Rey looked at Ben and felt a swell of pride. He had come to this planet, running in at full speed, to help her. The enormity of the action was staggering, now that she could safely consider it, and she missed whatever Ben said in response to the assertion and whatever Finn said afterward.

"I think we have time, if I can get it working," Rose was saying.

"I'll help," Rey offered and went with Rose to inspect the mechanism. It appeared to only have been shorted out – perhaps by the lightning the Emperor had insisted on using – and that was easy enough of a fix. A few of the wires were singed and unusable, but they managed to work around that issue together.

"Are we going straight back to the Capitol?" Rose asked quietly, so that Ben and Finn having their own quiet conversation a little ways away would not hear.

"Yes, I think so," Rey replied, focusing on the problem at hand until Rose cleared her throat. "Why?"

Rose glanced at Ben then back at Rey with a serious expression. "Perhaps he would prefer to go somewhere else. Where he can expect more of a warm welcome."

Getting to her feet, Rey frowned. "You think the Resistance will send him away? Lock him up?"

"I think he was the Supreme Leader for a year, and there are bound to be some people uncomfortable about that. Even if one of our major goals is rehabilitating the former stormtroopers, I'm not sure how people will feel about applying that to those in command. Most of the officers fled when they saw the tide turning and went into hiding. I'm just saying he might want to consider it," Rose explained gently. "In any case, let's get off this terrible planet," she added as the platform began to move.

"Come on," Rey called, jumping onto it and taking Ben's hand again when he joined her. She would hate for him to leave, to go without her someplace. But she couldn't just run away from the Capitol now, with no warning. Could she?

The platform occasionally shuddered but eventually made it to the surface without incident. Halfway through the trip, Rey was thinking that climbing would have been easier, but she held her tongue. They were all silent, perhaps feeling awkward with Ben there. But they had been mostly silent on the way down, Rey recalled. The atmosphere of the planet was oppressive and she was anxious to leave it.

Her friends must have agreed because the pace with which they approached the Falcon was quite a bit faster than was really necessary. Chewie must have seen them approaching –the gangplank lowered when they got close. Ben slowed at the sight of it, and she squeezed his hand. That was not enough reassurance, apparently, because he stopped entirely when Chewie came into view, heading toward them.

"It's okay," she whispered to him and he met her gaze, swallowed visibly, then nodded. Finn and Rose headed up to greet Chewie and then politely made themselves scarce for the reunion. Rey was tempted to join them, but Ben held her hand too tightly to allow for her to escape forcibly, let alone discreetly excuse herself.

"Chewie," Ben said quietly, making an obvious effort to contain his emotions. The Wookiee looked at him in silence. "I'm so sorry, Chewie – Chewbacca – I – " he managed to get out. Then Chewie took a step forward and enfolded Ben in a firm embrace. Rey grinned at him, pleased. She had not expected Chewie to be angry – he would hardly have come on this journey if he hadn't wanted to see Ben again – but was pleasantly surprised by his reaction to Ben's return.

Stepping back, Chewie gave Ben a nod and said he and Rose could fly if they were tired. Rey looked at Ben and, though he didn't look tired, he did look overwhelmed to be getting on the Falcon again. "Yes, please do that, Chewie," Rey answered for them, and led the way up the gangplank. Chewie closed the hatch then headed off toward the cockpit. She paused, uncertain, and looked up at Ben.

"Thank you," he murmured, squeezing her hand.

"For what?"

"For bringing me back."

Tears pricked her eyes but she grinned. He was back, back to the living world with her. And she had only kissed him once in this galaxy, so she stood on her toes to make up for that as quickly as possible. He obliged her immediately.