Chapter Twenty Five: Reconcile

Disclaimer: I own nothing here, but impossible to see, the future is...

AN: Hey, this chapter actually has a scene that matches the cover art! It only took 25 chapters to get here, ha! Enjoy!

The crowded, bustling street suddenly grew very quiet as everyone in the immediate area cleared out at the sound of Chewbacca's thunderous roar. The Wookiee's blue eyes were pinned on Ben and the words spilling out of his snarling maw sent a shiver of dread down Rey's spine.

Rey felt her body moving to intercept him before she really even realized it. "No Chewie, wait!"

Chewie snarled.

"I won't let you hurt him, Chewie!" Rey shouted back at him, though she added in a much more subdued tone, "...I him."

, Chewie grumbled at her but kept forcing his way forward, as if her mass had no effect at all on his stride.

"No, Chewie, this won't solve !" Rey whined with frustration at her vain attempts to slow him down. "This won't help me!"

Chewie froze mid-step in response to her words and he looked down at her, blinking with astonishment for some reason. He huffed at her lightly.

"Rey," Ben called to her from the same spot she had left him; he hadn't retreated a single step despite being the target of a Wookiee's ire. "Come here."

With Chewie momentarily abated, Rey obeyed his call and stepped back over to her dark clad companion, shooting him a quizzical look.

"I know you won't understand, but he has to do this," Ben told her as he reached out a hand to cradle the back of her head, pulled her close and placed a tender kiss to her forehead. "And I suppose I deserve it..."

"What?" Rey snapped and pulled away from his hold, indignant that he was going along with such madness. "Ben, no. This is stupid!"

"Maybe it is," he replied calmly, calm in Rey's mind. This was a they were talking about! "But after what I did, I owe him , at the very least."

"Ben," Rey whined and grasped at his shirt, resorting to pleading with him. "He could you in a fair fight!"

, Chewie rumbled from his place, also not having moved as he handed Maz his bag and bowcaster.

"Well can't you find a more peaceful, way to reconcile?" Rey asked the Wookiee in aggravation. This was not at all how she imagined her reunion with her former co-pilot would go. She didn't realize until now how much she had missed the huge furball's company and she desperately wished the violent tension in the air would somehow just miraculously dissipate.

"No such thing in Wookiee society," Ben told her as he unclipped his lightsaber and handed it to her. He gave her head another fleeting kiss as he murmured through a breath of rare apprehension. "I may need some help walking back to the shuttle after this..." He stepped forward to face the big hairy beast. "No weapons, no Force, no claws or teeth."

, Chewy grumbled lowly.

At a complete and utter loss, Rey found she could only watch uselessly as her fiancé moved away from her to face the Wookiee's judgment, portraying a fearlessness that she herself could not reflect in that moment. She looked to Maz for assistance, only to see the elderly female staring right back at her with a narrowed, knowing gaze, obviously having noticed Ben's uncharacteristic affectionate gesture. Rey didn't care, she could explain her and Ben's new relationship later. "Can't you stop them, or ?"

"Me?" Maz laughed outright as she skirted the posturing males and drew near to the young Jedi. "I make it a point to stay out of family affairs of this nature. Especially when it involves a Wookiee." She grinned up at Rey, somehow sending a wave of calm through the Force as she seemed to notice the children just then. "Oh, hello younglings, you're in for a real treat, Wookiees are usually very docile."

Rey blew out a frustrated sigh as Maz suddenly became enamored with Tom and moved to fawn over him as if a savage brawl weren't about to break out just a short distance away. The former scavenger wanted to argue back about how very deadly Wookiees could be if provoked, an incident involving Plutt and a bloody, sundered arm came to mind... Her rapt attention was drawn back to Ben as he stepped into a defensive stance; he wouldn't be the one to initiate the fight.

Chewie roared and lunged into a fierce assault, his fists flashing blurs of movement. Ben managed to dodge or block the first string of blows but Rey could sense that he was trying not to use the Force to guide his movements, which meant he couldn't predict the Wookiee's attacks like he normally would. He also wasn't fighting back much, focusing mostly on defense and damage control.

Chewie was not to be deterred by his opponent's lack of aggression. He continued his onslaught, swinging, swiping and grappling until he was able to land a smart thwack across Ben's right shoulder, knocking him back with a sickening snap.

Ben dropped to one knee briefly and muffled his cry of pain into a grunt but Rey cringed for him, hating how she was so unable to assist him. The whole situation was like a terrible joke. She didn't want either of them to get hurt but she could see no other outcome for it.

, Chewie growled dangerously and Ben obliged, regaining his stance and scowling against of pain. The Wookiee attacked again, but without the Force to manage his pain or feed his movements with rage, Ben was much less capable at defending himself. The second blow was to the head, a third to the stomach, the fourth and final landed on his back, which sent him thumping face first onto the ground.

Rey didn't realize she was biting the knuckles of her fist in nervous suspense until Chewie let out a rolling grumble at his victim. The Wookiee paced towards Maz and gave Rey a pointed nod, as if granting her permission to approach.

She didn't need a second prompt as she darted over to the crumpled man on the ground. He was groaning in pain and feebly attempting to lift himself when she knelt down beside him. "Hold still a minute Ben, you just took a beating from a Wookiee. You're entitled to lie still for awhile." She placed a hand on his battered head gently and smiled sadly as he leaned into her touch as if it relieved some of the pain; maybe it did for all she knew. The thought gave her an idea. "Tell me how to split the pain with you."

"No," Ben ground out through clenched teeth and stubbornly managed to push himself up on his hands and knees. "I deserved this, I'll bear it myself."

"Ben," Rey grumbled with annoyance. "I respected that pointless brawl, now at least let me help you stand up and walk."

"," Ben replied and hissed against the pain of his movements.

"," Rey insisted through a thoroughly aggravated glare. Against her better judgment she gave him as gentle a shove as possible, sending him sprawling onto his side with a brief string of curses under his breath along with an extremely confused expression. "I help or you don't get up. Simple."

Their gazes locked in a silent feud before Ben finally conceded with a sigh. "Fine." He raised his good arm to grasp her hand in his. "Just close your eyes and concentrate on what you want to accomplish, the Force will do the rest."