Home is Where You Are

Chapter 25

NOTES: If you've read Birthday Boy, you know what's coming.

If not, be prepared.

These two go through a lot.

     ________________________________

Ben is hard at work preparing for an upcoming meeting with his biggest client.

It's tough to be without his secretary. She may not be the best secretary but they work well together. She has finally learned how to anticipate what he needs.

But right now, he doesn't need his secretary. He needs her. He's come to think of her more as his business partner.

Damn he misses her.

Just as he stands to walk out the door, his eyes land on his brother. His silent brother.

Poe is just standing there. His eyes look unstable. His dark complexion is off. Then Ben notices his hands are shaking.

"Poe?" he asks, worried about his brother. Was it mom? Zorii?

It was like his brother knew he was mentally checking off the list of people they love.

"R-Rey," he whispers, barely getting her name out.

The name of the woman he loves.

Ben stands quickly, actually knocking his chair off of it's rollers. It flips. He takes one, two, three steps to his brother and grabs him, shaking him.

"WHAT? TELL ME!"

Poe's voice shakes.

"Missing…..skiing…. accident…."

Ben makes a sound he's never made in his life, not even when Han died. He runs to Rey's desk, throwing papers. He knows the name of the resort is here somewhere.

"Bro...I got it. Flight leaves in two hours…"

Ben turns, tears flowing. He never even cried when Han went missing. He just assumed everything would be okay….

A week later he buried his father.

Flashes, flashes run through his mind…

"We will find him…."

"He'll be okay… "

"Day two searching….search dogs…."

They all thought he'd be found alive.

But he wasn't.

Poe knows. He's having flashbacks too. This time, it's not his father. It's his brother's person.

"Ben…..she will be o…"

"Don't say it Poe!! Don't you dare fucking say it!!"

Then Ben grasps some sense of control. Just enough to think.

"When? How? How long? Oh God, where's Finn?"

Poe comes towards him slowly, explaining.

"They were skiing and she got too far ahead. He saw her go over the side. She had gotten out of control and was trying to stop herself but panicked. By the time he caught up, she was nowhere to be found."

The mental picture had played out in his head. Rey, afraid, not able to get control. Now she's probably buried in snow. Cold snow. Rey hates being cold. Alone. Rey hates being alone.

He starts to gasp for air. Her being hurt is a nightmare but her being hurt, cold and alone? It's his undoing…..

He'd told her she'd never be alone again. He promised her.