Lost Girl

Meeting Someone New

Everything was like a fever-induced haze. In her entire life, she's only been bedridden and feverish once. She was stung by a dead dune scorpion when she traveled too far without proper gear. She managed to find her way back home but suffered for days in agony, hot and cold flashes, while sweating out all the water in her body until she finally managed to fight it off. She was terrified, in the haze, that she would die out there alone. That she wouldn't be able to see her family again. That in her efforts to survive long enough to be able to see her family again, she ended up dying before then.

But she made it through that moment. And all of the ones that followed. No matter what came across her path, she somehow managed to survive it.

And so did Luke. Until he didn't. Again, she feels the ripping of the part of her soul that is connected to Luke being severed so fiercely. So painfully, it was like someone reached into her body and pulled out a piece of her she couldn't live without.

In a short time, Luke had become her family. Her Master had become her friend. Her confidant. They were connected, yet she wasn't able to save him. Save the piece of him that lived in her.

She hated herself for being so weak. For not being able to protect him. To not be able to be with Finn now. She's not sure that he would be able to make her feel better, but she wished he was there with her in that moment. He probably wouldn't be able to make her feel better, but at least he would try. He wouldn't let her wallow in her sadness. At least not by herself. She just knows that he would have stayed with her. Tried to help her somehow. Feel her pain too.

The image of Luke's sad, worn smile flashes in her mind. He's lived a long, sad life, but he was willing to try pushing on. At least, after she kicked him in the butt to get him in gear, he did. They spent nearly every waking moment together, even those that weren't waking. He was a constant presence in her life for over five months. They bonded and maybe she was foolish enough to love him. He looked after her, protected and taught her. They spoke about all sorts of things. It wasn't just about training. He told her about growing up on Tatooine. And she told him about Jakku.

"Jakku..." Luke had said, looking out over the vast sea, feeling the salty air wrap around them. She sits along side him, both of their legs hanging over the edge of the cliff.

"Yeah, Jakku..." Rey said, running her fingers through her hair.

Luke started to laugh, shaking his head. "What a hell hole."

"What? Jakku or Tatooine?" Rey asked, looking up at him.

Luke actually looked a mixture of deeply amused and pained by something deep in his past. "Both."

Rey opens her eyes slowly, her vision is blurry and there is something covering the lower half of her face, a mask that is filling with pure, clean air. She's in pain, like the ache in her through the Force isn't of her body. She's not sure how to explain it. She can feel this painful throbbing of her body, like she went through a strenuous work out and was paying the consequences. She was regaining her strength through the Force, but she was still completely drained and aching. Like she over worked her... um, Force muscle and was paying the price for that too.

"Stay strong, Rey," Luke says in her ear, his voice haunting like a whisper in the Force. "Even if your tired, the Force will always be with you. It will stay with you no matter what. You're special. Don't worry."

"Master..." Rey whispers, her blurry vision not clearing up any. It felt like he was right beside her, even now. The connection through the Force between them wasn't there, but he was somewhere close by. It doesn't make any sense. She thought she lost him. He separated himself from her - in a very painful process - but he somehow managed to survive.