The Balance and The Force {Star Wars Ep. X}

s. XII

Rey and Ben were walking down a pathway into a small forest area. The two of them were on the new resistance base with the rest of the resistance. The two of them needed some time alone.

Ben held onto Rey's hand as he walked to a little open area. He looked at the stones surrounding what seemed to be a circle with a fire pit in the middle.

The two of them stopped and Ben turned to Rey.

She looked up at him and sighed. "Can we... Can we talk? Can we talk about us, Ben?" She asked.

Ben nodded and sat down on one of the rocks. He had now started to wear a tradition type of Jedi robe. Brown ones similar to those his grandfather once wore.

Rey sat next to him and grabbed his hands. "We've been through so much, Ben." Rey seemed to love saying his name. It was as if she lost so many years of being able to truly call him that and she was trying to make up for it. "I'm sorry you never got to see the kids grow up... I wish I knew how to get you back sooner."

"It's okay, Rey. I'm here now." He gripped her hands. Though, Rey seemed to be a bit out of it.

"It's not okay." She said, trying to be honest. "If I would have just... Tried. Tried more. I was so hurt and I was alone and I just wanted to keep our kids safe." Rey suddenly stood up and started pacing.

"Well, Rey. I understand that. But-" Ben was cut off by her.

"And what is this? What is us? I-I haven't seen you in years. I've only felt you like a passing tide. I-I loved you. I know I did." Rey rambled.

"Loved?" Ben asked.

"I know I still do, but I don't know if... If it can stay this way. I'm worried those kids are going to tear us apart. I can't have that again." She said honestly and walked back towards him.

Ben quickly grabbed her hands again. He helped her sit back down. "You're scared... Aren't you? You're scared that they'll make the same mistakes I did..."

"They've already been doing wrong. They already made a mistake by bringing you back like that. Alec is manipulating our kids right now and I'm too worried about our relationship!" Rey said as she furrowed her brows. She was obviously angry with herself.

"Our relationship? Is that really what you're so worried about?" Ben asked and tilted his head to the left. He looked into her eyes longingly.

"I want more. There's something more that I want. It feels like we're not complete and I just... I know we need to get our kids back. We need to be a family, like how it was meant to be." Rey began. "I feel that... Your family has never been able to be a full family. Never been able to have that connection be fulfilled. We may fall apart if our kids don't come home. We need them to come home."

"Of course we do, Rey. But, for right now we have to be strong. We have been through so much together and everything happens for a reason. I wasn't supposed to come back till now for a reason." Ben reached up and cupped her cheek. He gently used his thumb to brush off a tear. "You need to remind yourself of that. I can sense you're frustrated and I don't want you to be falling in the wrong direction. We just have to ground each other. That's all we can do for now. We can't go chasing after them."

Rey shook her head. "What if they get hurt? What it they both fall to the dark?"

Ben sighed and watched her closely. "Then we just have to stay strong. We can't let their falling make us fall as well."

Rey nodded before suddenly closing her eyes.

Then, something happened.

The two of them saw an image at the same time. The moment that Anni was running and mercilessly killing all those stormtroopers.

The look in her eyes made the two of them scared, afraid. For the first time they saw one of their kids truly using the dark side.

After seeing the image they both opened their eyes and got up at the same time.

They needed to find Anni and Kai, and fast.

-

Anni sat there on the floor. Her breathing heavy as she watched Kai walk towards her.

"I knew it would be enough to break the block those dead Jedi had on you. You thought we were just special." Kai laughed at her. "I needed to break you. I think I finally did."

Anni would usually be crying in this moment. Though, she wasn't. She just felt angry. She didn't know she could ever feel this way.

"You... You lied to me? You played me this whole time? I thought you were... You were better than this!" Anni got up quickly. She stood up to him.

Their height difference usually made Kai feel less threatened, but in this moment, he wouldn't lie that he was scared of his own sister.

"There was no other way to show you your potential. The power we could hold together if we just use the dark side! It's in our blood!" Kai argued.

Anni looked down at her feet for just a second. "But so is the light." She said suddenly before using the force to grab her lightsaber. She ignited it and Kai ignited his as well. The two started to fight viciously.

Suddenly, another lightsaber broke into the fight. Alec was fighting against Anni as well. She blocked the two before pulling her saber up. She stepped back quickly before turning to see where she was heading. She felt Kai going to strike again and she turned to block. She stepped back more and faced the two as they advanced.

Anni gripped her saber before finally going to attack at them. She spun her saber before clashing with the other two. She used her foot to try and sweep Kai off his feet but he suddenly jumped into the air. He flipped behind her, now there were two on either side of her.

Anni breathed out shakily before turning her head to the hallway on her right. She turned and quickly started to run down the hall. A sormtrooper came at her and went to shoot. She threw her saber and it sliced the trooper in half. The saber came back to her before she ran down the hall more. She turned a corner and tried to find a door outside.

He heard Kai was chasing her but he knew Alec wasn't going to run.

Finally, Anni found a door outside. She ran out into the snow and instantly regretted it. It was freezing out there.

Anni turned to see Kai standing there with the saber. He was leaning down and the tip was gently touching the snow. Anni couldn't help but feel that she recognized this scene.

"Anni, there's no reason to fight anymore. You're outnumbered!" Kai yelled and then started to dash at her. Anni held her saber out to stop him. They started fighting again and they seemed to be on some ice patch as her feet where sliding. She went to turn but her body gave out and she fell on her back. Though, as she was falling a pain hit her shoulder.

Kai had slashed her arm to her shoulder. Anni started screaming loudly as her saber fell into the snow.

Anni heard more footsteps coming. Alec must have come out with some troopers.

She turned on her good side to see Alec and Kai standing there. Both their sabers still ignited.

"See, child. There's no escape." Alec said and got down on his knees. He reached over and grabbed her arm where she had been sliced.

"I'm proud of you two today."

-

Rey and Ben were standing in the meeting room. Both their eyes watering.

"We know where they are." Rey said shakily. She gave a look to Ryder who had been trying to get in contact with Anni for days.

"They're in danger." Ben said honestly. "Anni is hurt and... And... Their base is on the planet Gretu." Ben's hands were shaking.

The two of them felt everything Kai and Anni had been feeling. They felt the cold, they saw the fight in the snow.

Rey could feel the lightsaber hit that Anni had received. She felt her skin stinging by her shoulder.

"We don't have much time." Poe said suddenly and stood up. "We need to destroy that base."