Star Wars One Shots

Flashes

Contains Spoilers for The Last Jedi

*

*

*

Seriously, do not read unless you've seen the movie

*

*

You've been warned

She could feel him still. He was always there in the back of her mind, but sometimes he was more persistent than others, trying to get her to face him again. Rey had long since used to the force to put up a block in her mind, keeping them separate, stopping the unpredictable flashes of communication. She never wanted to see him again. Her head pounded as he pushed harder against the block, and Rey clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms.

"Rey?"

Leia's voice snapped Rey out of her reverie. She looked up quickly. "Leia... I was just..."

Leia smiled sadly as she sat next to the younger girl. "It's Ben, isn't it?"

Rey couldn't meet the general's eyes. "He's trying to talk to me, but I don't want to see him."

"Rey," Leia sighed, "I know it's hard. He's done terrible things. But even you said that you felt the light in him."

"That was before," Rey snapped.

"Before what?"

"Before..." Rey hesitated. Before I turned him away. "Before he began leading the First Order."

Leia took Rey's hand in her own. "That light isn't gone. Please, try one more time."

Rey nodded solemnly but didn't answer. That night, in her quarters, she sat crossed legged on her bed. Taking a deep breath, she slowly reached out with the force, taking down the wall she'd been so careful to keep up. Almost instantly, Kylo Ren, or Ben Solo - Rey didn't know who he was anymore - appeared in front of her.

"Rey," he said breathlessly.

"Ben." Her voice was cold and bitter as she met his eyes.

"You're angry with me."

His response was simple, but it made Rey's blood boil. "Can you blame me?"

"Yes," he said, beginning to pace. "You turned me away, yet I harbor no ill feelings towards you."

"What you did was different," Rey spat. "I trusted you! I risked my life by coming to you. And you!" Rey took a deep breath and her voice was low when she continued. "And you repaid me by trying to destroy the Resistance." She glared and tears pricked her eyes. "You would've killed Luke."

"As he tried to kill me years ago!" Ben raged. 

They locked eyes and a tense silence filled the room. Rey was the first one to look away, her face burning.

"Your mother thinks there's light in you. What should I tell her? Is her son truly dead?"

"He -" Ben hesitated, causing Rey to look up. "I thought he was, but then you changed everything. All of a sudden we were bonded, and you were there calling me Ben, and seeing me in a way no one ever had before." He paused. "My offer still stands. We're connected, you and I. We should be working together."

Rey shook her head, standing up. "I won't join the First Order."

"Nor I the Resistance." 

"The Resistance fights for peace!"

"And the First Order strives for order."

Rey stood close to Ben now, her eyes wide. "Can there not be both?"

"Not now." Ben shook his head once. "We've been fighting for too long."

"You refuse to compromise?" Rey whispered. "Ben..."

Without fully realizing what she was doing, she reached up a hand and traced the scar across his face. He grabbed her wrist without looking away from her eyes.

"Join me, Rey," he said, his voice taking on a softer tone. "Please."

Rey shook her head, a single tear falling from her eye. "I've already run to you once, Ben. If you want change, it's your turn to act."

He let go of her wrist and took a step back. He nodded. "So be it."

With that, he disappeared, leaving Rey alone in her room. She collapsed onto her knees, shaking as she took a deep breath. Tears streaming down her face, she buried her face in her hands. She had been so close to turning him that day in the throne room, but ultimately, she failed him just as Luke had.

Even after all that happened, he was close to being pulled over, but she couldn't figure out how to make him take the final step. She could still feel him through that treacherous bond she couldn't seem to shake. All she could do was hope that if he did come find her, it would be with a heart ready to change