14. Hey, Iām with you, okay? Always.
Finn had his suspicions that he was Force sensitive, but he never fully believed it. Some said the Force was only strong with those who had āmidichloriansā, whatever those were. Others, like General Organa, told him that as long as you were alive, the Force was within you. But Finn was no Jediāat least, not yetāand so he remained in awe of true Force users, and wondered if heād ever find a way to harness such power himself.
Yes, he never believed he was Force sensitiveā¦until one night, when he awoke without apparent reason. The air was still and silent, but the coldness Finn felt on his skin did not seem to match with the temperate, slightly tropical climate of DāQar. He sat up in his bed, careful not to disturb the others who slept in his barracks. Deep in his heart he felt an icy, terrible fear that was not his own.
A sweat broke out on his brow and he heard a distant voice cry out in terror. With a jolt, Finn leapt from his bed, searching for the sourceā¦but there was none. All at the Resistance base was at peace. He lay down again, and could not explain the tears that threatened to leak from the corners of his eyes.
The next day, Rey came back. Skywalker was not with her, though she spoke of his eventual return. Finn had not seen her since Starkiller Baseā¦they had so much to talk about. It was a flurry of talking, planning, questions, and urgent information exchanges between the Resistance and the last connection to the Jedi. But night soon fell, and Finn turned in with a feeling of contentment and comfort.
Until the coldness struck again.
Only this time, the shout that followed was louder and seemed more real than it had the night before. Stepping carefully past his sleeping bunkmates, Finn padded down the hall of the barracks to the womenās quarters, where Rey was. The door was ajar, and when Finn peered through the crack, he an empty bed where his friend should have been.
Noā¦there she was. Crumpled into a ball on the floor, sitting under the window. Her fingers were woven into her loose hair and trembling arms hid her face. She looked soā¦vulnerable.
Finn hesitated for a brief moment, but stuck his head in the door anyway.
āRey?ā he whispered softly.
Rey looked up with a ragged breath, and in the half-moonlight her cheeks glistened.
āRey? Oh, no, nonono,ā Finn breathed quietly, pushing past the door (careful not to let the old hinges squeak). He crouched beside her and put a hand on her arm. She was so cold. āWhatās wrong? What happened?ā
With a shiver, Rey dragged her hands down her face, her eyes staring through the ceiling to something far, far away.
āI thought theyād stopped,ā she whispered. āBut I canāt get rid of them.ā
āGet rid of what?ā Finn asked, though he already knew the answer.
āThe nightmares. Theyāre soā¦theyāre so real, Finn.ā
Rey let a hand drop down to rest atop Finnās, and he grasped it tightly, trying to convey all his understanding, all his comfort, through the simplicity of contact.
āRen haunts me. I canāt stop seeing it all over againā¦I canāt stop feeling it all over again. His evil in my headā¦his saber through his fatherās heartā¦ā
Her gentle voice cracked, and Rey pulled her eyes from their distant stare and brought them to rest on Finn.
āI canāt stop fighting him. I see him, always, hurting youā¦and I canāt do anything.ā
Finn readjusted himself, sitting close beside Rey with his back against the wall as she was. He did not let go of her hand; she wouldnāt have let him.
āHey,ā Finn said, rubbing his thumb across her hand. āIām with you, okay? Always. Iām here, Iām okay, and you donāt have to be alone.ā
Reyās lip trembled, but her eyes no longer shone with tears. The moon began to set, and the light faded, and it was still. Rey closed her eyes and breathed out slowly, and through her hand Finn felt her heartbeat ease. In a moment of impulsive confidence, Finn placed a kiss on Reyās forehead; it just felt right. Rey let her head drop to Finnās shoulder and sighed a quiet āthank youā.
But Finn didnāt think he should have been the one being thanked.
After all, if he could sense Reyās nightmares, he could not imagine how much worse it had been for her to sense his.