Kylo Ren fell to his knees, his face sizzled and wounded by Rey's light saber. It was snowing. Rey stood for a moment willing her opponent to rise. He did not. He moaned, instead. She thought she heard him breathing out the words, "No, Master," but she wasn't entirely sure. Luke's saber still hummed. Kylo's was lying next to him. She should run back to the Falcon. She was the only pilot. Chewbacca had taken a wounded Finn aboard Poe's fighter.
BB-8 opened the hatch and beeped.
"Just a moment," Rey said but wondered why she waited. She should have killed this thankless, ungrateful monster where he lay.
"No," he shouted again, writhing on the ground. "Please..."
From the woods came a sharp sound, a whining. Whatever it was, the thing was flying toward them.
"Oh, no," said Rey.
BB chirped desperately. "I'm coming," she yelled.
Behind her, Rey heard someone crashing after her. She turned back to see Kylo Ren rising and stumbling.
The droid above him began shooting. He ducked and swerved. He lit his saber and fended off the shots.
He stumbled and the droid hit his leg. He moaned loudly and gritted his teeth.
Rey sprinted back to Kylo with Luke's saber and neatly parried the shots. "Run," she shouted.
He pulled himself up and ran toward the Falcon's open door.
Rey held the saber aloft and backed up. The droid appeared to be breaking off its attack. It shot feebly at Rey, who stopped it midair, and it turned away to fly off into the dark.
Rey stood for a moment in the dark. Kylo shouted, "Get in here. There might be more."
Sure enough, the air was filled a buzz. Mad, black droids flew into view. Rey ran full speed into the Falcon.
Kylo Ren was in the pilot's seat. "Move," shouted Rey.
"No time," he said and lifted off. The droids followed like so many wild bees. Rey slid into the gun turret and shot at them, but the Falcon slammed into hyperdrive, pushing her back before she could hit them.
The ship began to whine.
Rey ran back to the front. "Slow down," she hollered over the noise. "This ship can't take this kind of punishment. Something will blow."
He ignored her and raced on.
She growled and flung herself over the pilot's seat, reaching for the controls. He pushed her off.
"We need some distance," he said.
"Those little droids can't possibly fly this fast," she countered. "You will wreck this ship."
"I don't care about this ship," he shouted. "Let it blow apart."
"No," she jumped on top of him. "This is my home." She pulled his hair.
He shouted and fought her off with one long arm. She pulled the light saber to her. He heard it and wrenched her off him with a yell.
Rey held the saber near his face. "Slow it down."
He stared at her determined face. "Will you scar me again? Will you enjoy it?"
Rey set her back teeth. "I did not enjoy it the first time."
"Hmmm," he said.
She felt him probing her mind with his senses. She stepped back and tried to shut him out. She grunted in pain as he pushed farther and harder.
"Liar," he said. "You did enjoy it. I killed him and you were angry. You used that anger to fuel this saber."
She took a step forward. "Stay out of my mind."
Kylo did not move back. "When you use your anger with the Force, you are on the Dark Side."
"I am not a monster who kills for fun. I would not kill my own father," she shouted.
"You are angry now. Channel it. Pull it in and let it flow through the saber."
"No," she said.
They stared at each other.
"I could kill you now, Rey from Jakku," he said, softly. He Force-pushed her against the wall of the Falcon. She felt her throat closing slightly.
She pushed back and knocked the sensation back at Kylo.
He coughed and breathed deeply. "Impressive," he said after a moment.
Rey closed the light saber down. "Don't choke me. Don't touch me. Stay out of my mind and away from me." She visualized the ship slowing down and pushed the controls. The ship slowed.
BB-8 beeped as the engine began bang and clunk. Smoke rose in a delicate plume from the hold below.
"What did you do?" Rey yelled. "I told you that the engine couldn't handle the stress."
She ran to the hold and began to pull it open.
"Move," said Kylo, attempting to shoulder Rey aside.
"This is my ship," she said, pushing her shoulder against him. "Get out of my way." Kylo pushed back and Rey took a quick step backwards. Kylo stumbled and she slipped around him into the hold. He pulled himself in beside her. It was a tight fit.
Rey felt the warmth of Kylo's body and inhaled the hot, wild scent of musk, snow, and wood.
Rey elbowed Kylo in trying to open the access panel. She burned her fingers on the hot metal.
"Ow," she said, sucking her injured hand.
Kylo watched without comment, then pulled off the panel with gloved fingers. Another plume of smoke puffed out.
Rey peered inside. "I need a light," she said.
"So do I," he said. "Please get one for me."
"I am not your servant," she said.
"And I am not yours," he answered.
Neither said a word. Rey waited. His warm breathing filled the hold. She thought she could hear his heartbeat. Rey turned her body toward him and immediately regretted it. She was pressed against his side more intimately, her breast pushing against his arm. She attempted to move, but he turned and her body touched his full on. They were together, belly and breast, though he was so much taller than she. His hands rested on her hips. His eyes rested on her face.
Rey's breath caught. The wound she had given him was a horrible black slash against his pale skin. It did nothing to stop her from seeing his beauty. She had forgotten how he affected her when he took his helmet off. She had not been paying attention to him until now. She felt as though she could stare at him forever. This time, she was not afraid. She knew he could not take her mind. His body felt solid against hers and she enjoyed the pressure of his large hands on her hips. She would not have stepped back even if there had been room. The sensations were too powerful. Kylo's dark eyes dipped down to glance at her lips. He was thinking of touching her, she knew. She felt it in his thoughts. He began to tilt his head, thick hair brushing his uninjured cheek. She wondered. He knew she would not stop him.
Kylo watched Rey's eyes as his mouth caught hers. Her eyes closed as his kiss connected, barely there at first, a soft brush. She made a sound that she didn't recognize and raised her arms to circle his neck. His hands drew her closer to him. She pressed her lips against his and he returned the kiss. He touched her lips with his tongue. She opened her mouth and he surged inside, kissing her deeply. Rey felt his satisfaction and hunger in her mind. She felt the pain in his face and leg that he was ignoring. They had connected.
An ominous sound rebounded in the ship. Rey pushed Kylo back, breathing hard. The ship shuddered once.
"We need light," Rey said. She boosted herself up. Kylo placed his large hand on her bottom and pushed her up. She shot him a look, which he did not see. He was peering into the broken mechanism. Rey found the flashlight and jumped down to hold it on the scorched part.
Kylo pulled the small, squat cylinder out. "It's inoperable," he said.
"Han seemed to have a supply of odd parts around," Rey said.
"I know where," Kylo said. He hoisted himself out of the hold and walked to an old storage closet. He twisted it open and rummaged around inside. "It was usually in here," he said in muffled tones. His head was completely inside the closet. He pulled out a canister and opened it. He threw it against the closet as hard as he could.
Rey jumped. "What is the problem?" she asked.
He growled, "It's empty, Rey. There is no spare."
"Oh no," said Rey.
"Typical Han Solo. Not there when you need him." Kylo strode across the deck to the communication device. He slammed it. "Hux, come in. Ren here."
"What are you doing?" Rey said. She ran over and grabbed his arm. He shook her off.
"Hux, come in."
The comm whined. Hux appeared on the screen. "Ah, Ren, we have been awaiting your call. I am here to tell you..."
"Shut up, Hux," Kylo said. "I am sending coordinates with the last of our power. We are currently dead in the water."
"Are you mad?" Rey shouted, beating on Kylo's back with fists. "Don't tell him that." She looked around for the light saber.
Kylo ignored her. "Please pick us up. I have the scavenger girl. You may tell the Supreme Leader."
Hux laughed. "The Supreme Leader is no longer interested in you, Kylo Ren. You have failed him completely."
"I did not fail," Kylo said. "I killed Han Solo. I will kill Luke Skywalker. I know the Supreme Leader felt disappointed...."
"How dare you say how he feels," Hux shouted. "You are no longer his apprentice. He has no interest in you." Hux paused with a twisted smile on his lips.
Kylo's face went rigid.
"Turn around, Ren. Your girl wants to kill you."
Kylo turned. He stared at Rey, seeming not to comprehend. Rey lowered the saber.
Hux continued. "We will be there soon to pick up the girl. The Supreme Leader wants her to take your place."
"Never," shouted Rey.
"Then we will blow you and your lover out of the sky," Hux said. He cut communications.
Rey ran at Kylo with her saber drawn. Kylo called his and lit it. They crashed in a sea of sparks.
"Why did you call them?" Rey shouted as they dueled. "Why?"
Then she stopped and lowered the saber. Her shoulders slumped.
"No, no," Kylo shouted. "You are using your anger. Don't let it go. Come at me again." His saber whooshed above her head. "Hit me, Rey."
"No," she said and sheathed the light.
She turned and walked to communications. She left Kylo breathing hard in the background.
He ran at her full force, shouting. She raised her hand, pushed him with her mind, almost unconsciously. "Stop," she said.
She opened the channel. "Come in, Poe," she said. The line crackled.
"Rey?"
"Yes."
"Where have you been? We have been going crazy here, looking for you."
"Sending coordinates," Rey said.
"Where the hell is that?"
"I don't know. We had to jump to lightspeed to outrun..."
"We?" Poe asked.
"Uh, BB-8 and me," Rey said. "Listen, I don't have much time. Hux is on our tail and we need a new hypercircuit. Do you have one?"
"Yeah, or I can build you one."
Kylo snapped his fingers behind Rey. "Build one," he said.
"Who is that?"
"No one," she answered quickly. "Can you bring it along with some backup just in case Hux gets here before we can do this."
"Can do. Poe out."
Rey found Kylo rustling around in the closet. He carried tools and random parts to hold and jumped down in it.
Rey watched him. She quietly handed him tools. "That wire," she said when he was trying to choose between the red and the blue.
He stared at her, shrugged, and did as she said.
He held up the component. "It's missing one piece," he said. "I do not think it will connect properly."
"Turn it sideways and nestle in up against the outer node there," Rey said. "That may work."
It didn't.
He threw the component on the floor and banged his fist against the consoles. He hauled himself up and out and stamped around like a caged cat.
Rey watched him. "Well, we will wait for Poe, then."
Kylo turned on her. "Your resistance man will kill me just as quickly as Hux."
"I doubt that," Rey said.
"Then why did you not tell him I was aboard?"
Rey herself did not know the answer.
Kylo stalked away and planted himself in a chair.
Rey sat next to him. "Can we fix your wound now?"
"Now you want to heal me, Rey? You are much better off enraged."
"Fine," she said. "I won't do it myself." She called BB-8 over to stitch Kylo's face and leg.
He pushed the unit away. BB-8 beeped ominously.
Rey stood up, lit her saber, and pointed it at Kylo. "I swear I will give you a matching one if you don't allow BB-8 to heal your face and leg."
"That's better," he said.
"You are impossible," Rey growled. She attached her saber to her belt.
Kylo shrugged. He didn't stop the droid from its work but stared Rey down the entire time. She squirmed and paced.
"Why?" she burst out. "Why must you be so contrary? Why is everything a battle? I feel the good in you. I feel it there swimming under the surface. But you," she whirled on him and pointed, "you keep that smoldering, boiling pot of rage going inside. Right on top of the Light."
"Are you willing to turn me? Is that why you saved me?"
Rey was thrilled that he understood. She took his hands in hers. His hands closed on her small fingers. "I could. I could help you, Ben. Snoke does not want you. You can return to..."
"My uncle who tried to murder me in my sleep," Kylo finished.
Rey stepped back, dropping Kylo's hands. "No," she said, shocked.
"Oh, you didn't know about that," he said. "Of course not. Luke is the all good, all wise Jedi master. You are looking for him to return that light saber. It's his, isn't it? Lost a long time ago."
She touched it without thinking. "It's his," she confirmed.
"It's Anakin Skywalker's," Kylo said. "My grandfather's saber."
"Yes," Rey whispered.
"Would you give it to me if I asked?" Kylo gazed at Rey with a long stare.
She met his eyes. "I must give it to Luke first," she said.
Kylo closed his eyes. Rey felt his exhaustion and pain. It slipped through his tight control.
Without thinking, Rey reached out to him and felt his age-old rage and tears. She felt him from the time he was a little boy. She saw that his family was disappointed in him. He was a Dark Sider. He just was. And they were terrified.
His mother's face showed wet with tears as she begged her brother to help rip the Dark out of her son. His father's rage blown up at the thought of this little Dark boy becoming more and more angry and powerful. His uncle's cruelty grew toward the child who looked up to him. Until one day, the boy shrieked at the universe and found the being who took him in.
"You are the Dark Side Chosen One, Kylo Ren. I have found you," the voice said. He believed it.
Now the beloved master saw too much of the Light within Kylo Ren. Even killing Han Solo had not helped. Instead, it nearly killed Kylo. The war of Dark and Light within him led him to strike out at Rey and lose everything. He was just so tired of it all.
He was a Dark Sider. He just was. He continued to repeat it to himself.
If Rey could join him, he could do better. They could do better. She would be his other half. They would be a Dyad of Dark and Light.
Rey stepped back as if physically pushed. She sat down, trembling.
He turned his head from her. She was sure he hadn't meant to show so much.
Coward that she was, Rey ran from Kylo Ren. She picked up the part that didn't work, that was missing too much to connect, and dropped it on the work table. There, she took it apart, cleaned it, and studied it. She placed the old, twisted, burnt part nearby and attempted to pry it apart. She felt him nearby, embarrassed by what he had let slip. She felt him understand that he was leaking his thoughts to her. She had responded to his embarrassment with a soothing warmth. Why, she could not say. Kylo clamped down on his thoughts.
Rey vigorously poked at a burned piece of metal and ended up poking her own self in the finger. Rey sucked in a breath and put the abused finger in her mouth. She swore in her mind and blamed Kylo's presence for her skittish behavior. A soft chuckle of amusement slipped over her. He knew of her impatience and how she was attempting to calm herself.
Dark man, she thought.
Yes? He breathed into her mind.
She whipped around. He was sitting on a bench seat with his legs folded, his eyes closed. He was breathing slowly. His wounded leg must be feeling better.
It is.
You tell me so much about you without meaning to.
You don't mind. His breath moved in and out of his chest. His eyes stayed closed. Be with me.
She put down her tools.
You don't know how to meditate yet, but I can show you. Breathe with me.
Rey took a breath in and out. She felt Kylo's dark warmth all around. He just was. He was the Dark of midnight skies and velvet nights. Rey felt her own Light shine brighter, like stars overhead, sparking on and off, like flames leaping from an ancient fire, like hot sun and warm winds. She took another breath with him and around him and through him.
And she was still restless. She needed to show him that his Darkness was ... or could be good. That those who had abandoned him were wrong.
Rey stood and knelt at Kylo's feet. He reached for her and she allowed herself to be swallowed into his embrace. He had been waiting. She knew. He pulled her up to his lap and wrapped himself in her arms. He kissed her ferociously as if his life was in danger.
His lips, which were so soft, pressed against hers tightly. She cradled his face in her hands and kissed him back. He pulled away and rained kisses down her cheek and neck.
"I just am," he said out loud.
"I know."
He picked her up and carried her to the nearest tiny cabin.
BB-8 squawked nervously. Rey waved at him. "Stand down," she said, "I am all right."
The bunk was barely big enough for the giant man carrying Rey. He laid her down on the bed and crawled in next to her, fully clothed.
She smiled at him as he tried to take off boots and gloves, his belt and tunic. She pushed his hands away to help with the rest of his clothing. He was magnificent with a broad muscular chest and big wide shoulders. He began working on her clothing as well, kissing her senseless in the process.
When they were finally skin-to-skin, Rey sighed. "Aren't we waiting on people to come and kill us?"
Kylo pulled her closer. He slipped his fingers between her legs. "All the more reason to merge ourselves as closely as we can," he said in her ear.
He attempted to kiss farther down Rey's body but was frustrated by the small bunk. He rolled off the bunk, grabbed a blanket, and seated himself on the floor. Rey moved over.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Sit up," he said, softly.
She complied and he nuzzled her breasts, teasing her hard nipples with his tongue. Rey arched back to allow him further access. He kissed down further and further until she fell back almost banging her head on the wall. Kylo pulled her legs forward and opened them wide. He buried his face between her legs and licked her until she cried out and pulled his hair. His thumbs opened her wider as she found her release.
Kylo joined her on the bed. He barely fit its length. Rey welcomed him and he fitted himself into her tight, warm body. They both moaned as he pushed all the way in. He braced his feet on the wall as they found their rhythm. The communications unit may have beeped, but they didn't know. Kylo brushed his thumb against Rey and she came again. He thrust into Rey one last time as the wave rushed over him. He buried his face in Rey's soft hair.
They lay together as one as long as possible, until he was no longer joined with her. Rey stroked this wild Dark Sider's hair and kissed the scar she'd made.
"You can join me," he said between kisses.
Rey shook her head. "I am not a Dark one."
"I know," he said. "It doesn't matter. Let's start over. No Dark. No Light. Just us."
Rey was tempted. So tempted. When she looked into Ben's eyes, they were soft, tawny, pleading. She breathed.
"Where would we go?" she asked, just to torture herself further.
He pulled a beautiful, lush planet from his memory and showed it to her within her mind. "There," he said. "Naboo. My grandmother's planet."
"How can we? Isn't that the first place..." she didn't finish.
He would be hunted for his crimes forever. The First Order would want him and the Rebels would, too.
"Can your mother protect us?" Rey asked.
"We would not tell her. We would tell no one," Kylo said. "Rey, we could use the Force to blend in to Naboo. To do what Obi-Wan Kenobi did. He became crazy old Ben Kenobi, harmless hermit, who watched over my uncle."
"It won't work, Ben." She stopped when she heard the echo of his name. She realized he had been named after the Jedi master. "Don't you think that's the first place everyone will look? Don't you think they will feel our presence there?"
"We hide in plain sight. Rey, it is possible. We would not be royalty, but we would be alive and together."
Rey stared at him. "Your name," she whispered.
"I have many names, as do you, but you don't know them yet," he said. He bent and kissed her lips softly. "Ben and Rey Amadala. We could marry, find a small house, and blend ourselves together. No one would know, Rey. We are equally strong in the Force and I can teach you."
"The way of the Sith?" Rey asked.
"The way of everything," he said. He pressed her back into the bunk and covered her body with gentle kisses. "Marry me, Rey. You are for me."
He pushed his way into her mind as he nudged open her legs. She welcomed him and merged in the sweetest possible way. He loved her; she saw it. Even though he was lost, even though he hated himself for what he had done, he had found her Light and beauty and responded. She was indeed for him. With her, he was the best of Kylo Ren, Dark Sider, and Ben Solo, Light Sider. Her own bold Darkness rose up to meet his and her Light, which was primary, slipped into his mind to bring him joy. And she loved him, too. Rey opened that thought and he buried his face in her neck.
The communications unit bleeped. Kylo pulled his pants on and moved to answer it, Rey tugging on her clothes behind him.
Hux's voice boomed through the ship. "Turn over the girl, Ren. Orders of the Supreme Leader."
Kylo looked at Rey. She didn't move.
Hux continued, "The Supreme Leader is pleased with the sacrifice of your lover. He believes you can be an apprentice again if you turn over the girl. You will remain on this...ship until further notice."
"No," Kylo said. "We are both coming aboard. I wish to speak to him myself."
Rey's face hardened. "How could you?" she said, sick inside. She stumbled backwards.
"Trust me, Rey," Kylo said.
"I am so very sorry," Hux said. "That is not the plan, Ren. Fire."
Hux's ship blasted the Falcon once. Rey collapsed in the co-pilot's seat.
"I'm not sitting in Snoke's prison—or becoming his apprentice. Ben, what are our options?"
"Don't call me Ben. Not yet," he said absently. "Good question." He punched buttons and flipped switches in an attempt to find some unknown power source. "I think your little friends are here, Rey."
She jumped up and hit the communications. "Poe, where are you?"
"Hahaha! Right here. I've got the part and I'll hold them off, Rey." Poe whizzed around Hux and blasted the ship with a volley of fire.
Hux fired back.
"Have BB-8 open the hatch, Rey," Poe hollered. "I'm going to buzz by you as close as I can."
"Do it, BB-8," Rey shouted. She ran to the hatch and sealed BB-8 in. Poe buzzed by so his droid could hand off the part. BB-8 rolled back in.
Rey grabbed the part and ran to the engine hatch. Kylo met her there. Working together, the two quickly wired it in.
"Got it," Rey shouted.
Kylo slammed the Falcon into hyper-drive, and they shot out of the battle. Rey climbed out of the hold more slowly. Kylo began flipping switches. He spoke low into the microphone.
Rey walked up behind Kylo. "What are you doing?" she asked.
He did not answer.
"Ben," she asked. "Where are we going?"
He didn't look up. "Jakku."
"What?" Rey said. She slid into the co-pilot's seat. "No, Ben. Why?"
He played with a few more buttons. "I'm not Ben anymore. He wants me back," he said simply. "But I can still protect you. Maybe."
Suddenly, the tiny figure of Han Solo popped up. "Hey, Ben, how's it going? I'm glad you're back aboard the old Falcon. I have a lot of great memories. I hope you are doing well. I see you activated your private code again. That's fantastic. The ship is all yours and programmed exactly the way you like it. I don't know what your situation is, but I'm guessing you are in need. Look me up. Your mother or uncle will know where I am. They always do, even when I don't want them to. I love you, son. Your old smuggler dad."
Kylo stopped slapping buttons to turn off the image.
"Jakku," he said again, getting up. "I am dropping you off. You will be fine. As you can see, The Falcon is mine." He walked away.
Rey reeled back. She was in shock. She probed her lover's mind, but it was firmly shut.
She chased him shamelessly, surprising herself at how willingly she had given in to him—and how willingly she would betray her friends for him. Right here. Right now.
"Ach-To," Rey blurted out. "That's where Luke is living. Take me there."
Kylo turned back to gaze at Rey. His eyes were glazed over and unreachable. His lips were tight. She probed his mind again.
He shoved back roughly. Rey fought for breath, heart breaking slowly.
"Oh, Ben," she whispered, slowly. "What is happening?"
Kylo Ren was firmly in place. He ignored Rey.
Rey took a long, slow breath. "I love you, Ben. But I am not going back to Jakku," she said. "I trust you. Let me show you how much." She paused, waiting for Kylo's reaction. He stared at her, unmoved. "Take me to Ach-To, and I will help you."
"I doubt that," he said. He pushed her aside and returned to the pilot's seat.
"However, I would prefer not to delay anymore. Stay out of my way." He changed course.
Rey stepped back, stung. "What is wrong with you?"
Kylo slammed his hand down on the console. His eyes were burning with dark fire. "I'm not going to Ach-To. Or Naboo. I am going back to the Starkiller."
Rey stared at Kylo. "You aren't wanted."
"I'm not wanted on Ach-To, if that's where my uncle is," Kylo stated. "What would happen if I place myself in the hands of the Resistance? Or my uncle? I have killed many, many people. I killed my mother's husband, my uncle's best friend."
"Your father?"
He did not respond. He grimaced and chewed his lips.
"What good did that do, Ben?" Rey pressed.
He jumped up and pulled his light saber. "Do not ask me that question."
She pushed her way into his mind. He cried out and lit the saber. It buzzed ominously.
Rey read the confusion and pain in Kylo's thoughts. She caught a flash of Snoke's presence before Kylo pushed her out with a howl. He swung the saber. She lit hers and caught the edge of his saber. She thrust upward and he backed up against the console.
"Stop!" Rey shouted. "Stop fighting. What happened to our plan for Naboo?"
He lowered his saber and turned it off. She did the same. He grabbed Rey by the shoulders. He was like a man possessed, breathing heavily, choking on some horrible idea. "Snoke wants me back. I can do this. I can kill Luke and it will please him. I will not be my mother's prisoner. I will not ... beg for my life."
"You will beg for your death if you go back to that worm," Rey said. "I promise you that Snoke has abandoned you. He is trying to kill you now. You are no longer useful to him or his quest to..."
Kylo shouted, cutting Rey off. He was sweating. "No, it's not true. It's not."
"Why won't you believe me?" Rey asked quietly.
"Because," Kylo said, grabbing Rey by the shoulders and almost screaming, "he was the only one who cared. He cared about me. He cared that I was a Dark Sider. He cares for me now. He likes me as I am." Kylo choked on the words. "He loved me like no other ever did."
Rey opened her arms to this dark creature. Why, she could not say. He seemed so alone and unhappy. Snoke had complete control—even the whisper of the idea that Kylo Ren could be an apprentice again sent Ben Solo running back to that evil monster. Kylo's mind was infected by this poison.
"Ben," Rey said, as Kylo enfolded her and groaned loudly. His defenses opened a crack. Snoke's presence retreated slightly as Rey pushed into Kylo's ravaged mind again. "Snoke does not love you. He wouldn't ask you to do such terrible acts if he did. You would not have to prove yourself worthy. Real love means you are already worthy just be being you."
"I'm not..." Kylo took a deep shuddering breath, clinging to her solid presence. "I'm not what you or any of the others want. I'm not that person. I have never been that person. The Chosen One. The one who could bring balance. The one who could be a Jedi." He was panting by the end at the exertion of telling this truth.
"The Chosen One died a long time ago," Rey said. "He did not fulfill his destiny but instead turned to the Dark Side, became a Sith. He had a choice and took it. You do not have to follow him." She paused. Kylo seemed on the edge of breaking into pieces. His teeth were gritted. He was still breathing hard, his eyes were fixed on some unknown spot. There was a silent war was going on inside him. His senses slammed shut and he was completely closed to her again.
"No," he said. He shook his head and sat heavily in the pilot's seat. His breathing slowed. His eyes closed. He rubbed his face with both hands.
The comm opened and buzzed. Incoming message. Kylo and Rey jumped. It buzzed again.
"It's from D'Qar," Rey said.
She reached out and Kylo smacked her away hand. "No," he said.
"Can you make this work?" an irritated female voice asked over the comm.
"Yes, General. It's open," someone said.
Kylo put his head in his hands again.
"Oh," said Rey. "It's your mother."
"Ben," she shouted at the top of her voice. "Ben."
He ignored her.
"You have to talk to her," Rey said.
"I do not," Kylo replied.
Rey slapped the on button. "Yes, General, he is here."
"Rey?" The General modulated her tone to speak to Rey.
"Yes, ma'am. Ky- uh, Ben is here. But he won't speak."
"Typical," Leia muttered. She raised her voice to a shout again. "I don't care what you think you're doing. You are going to wait for me on Ach-To. You will not take your uncle on by yourself. Do you understand me? I am tired of you two acting like children. And, yes, your uncle is just as bad. He is hiding on that rock like a scruffy old goat. I swear I will knock some sense into both of you." She paused.
Kylo screwed up his face sullenly. He clamped his lips shut and made a fist.
Leia's voice came through again. She had apparently further turned up the volume on her end. Her voice was earsplitting. "Do not slam your fist on the console or you will be sorry. Stop throwing tantrums. You are too old for it." She paused again.
Kylo dropped his fist on his thigh and beat it against his leg.
Leia lowered her voice and softened her tone slightly. "Son, please say something so I know you understand me. I will not continue to speak to an empty room."
Rey opened her mouth to say they were all there. One stinging look from Kylo shut her up.
Kylo said, "Yes," so softly Rey could barely hear him.
"That's good enough," she shouted. "I am on my way to Ach-To. I repeat, do nothing until I get there. Leia out." There was a crackle. "Men," she spat. "I swear I will kill both of them myself." More noise came out of the console. How do you turn... oh." The comm fell silent.
Kylo Ren sat in the silence.
"Take us to Ach-To," Rey said.
He stared at her. "And go to my mother's prison?"
"I doubt that, Ben."
He looked at her. Just stared without any movement. Not even a flicker of his eyelids.
Rey turned Kylo's seat toward her. "Ach-To," she reiterated, nudging him slightly with her mind.
He looked down at his hands like he didn't know what to do with them.
Rey sat in his lap. He stiffened.
"No," he said, pushing her away. "I can't love you, Rey."
She buried her face in his soft hair and smiled. "I think you already do."
He hesitated again and she stroked his hair and murmured her love for him. "I would help you face it, Ben. Don't run. Let's do it together. Let's all stand against that evil creature. Don't let him take you."
His face was tear-stained when he looked at her. He pressed his lips together to keep his mouth from trembling.
"I love you, Ben, and so does your mother. You are her son. She will not forsake you."
"I. Am. Dark." The words were ripped from his soul.
Rey kissed his face over and over, touching his lips, his eyes, and his scar.
"And I am Light," she said. "What of it?"
Rey gently pushed Kylo out of the pilot's seat and flew to Ach-To herself. He didn't protest. He looked completely exhausted.
When she landed, Rey saw Luke in grey robes standing nearby. Leia, looking every inch the General and Princess, tipped her head up to watch the lowering hatch. Chewie, Poe, and Finn stood by with guns pointed.
"Where is he?" Poe shouted. "You have him on board."
Rey walked down the ramp with Luke's light saber in hand. She lit it. "He is here to speak with his family."
"Huh," Poe said. "Rey, you don't have to protect him. Hand him over to Leia."
Finn growled, "Hand him over to me. He is a wanted criminal." He rolled his shoulders, remembering the wounds Kylo Ren had given him.
Rey turned when she heard the familiar hum of Kylo's light saber. He stalked down the ramp with the red light of the saber buzzing dark warnings.
Rey backed up to stand next to him. "I will protect him," she shouted. "He is a Dark One, but I will protect him from any of you. He is not Sith. He pulls power from the Dark Side but it is not inherently evil. Instead, the Dark power is a counterbalance. It is an intensity, a rage, a thirst, and a deeply felt desire. Those emotions are not wrong; they exist. We use them every day. Ben Solo draws his power from them, but he has light and love in him, too. Do not throw him away for what he is."
Leia stepped forward. She pushed the others back. "Well said, Rey." She turned her attention to her son. "Ben, you can put the light saber down."
He stared at her and gritted his teeth. "No, mother, I cannot." He shifted his feet and widened his stance.
Leia glanced at Rey. She didn't move either.
"He wants to kill me," Luke said loudly. "Snoke demands it. If Ben Solo kills me, he will be a Sith. He believes he will wipe out the Jedis." Luke moved toward Kylo Ren. "He's still Kylo Ren, Rey, I am sorry to say. He is not what you believe him to be."
"I stand by my statement," Rey said.
"Then we are nowhere," Luke said. "He will kill me. Then he will hand you to Snoke."
Kylo Ren said nothing.
The air above ripped with a scream as a small ship plunged into view.
Kylo Ren fell to his knees. His saber dropped unlit and useless next to him. He bowed his head and put his face in his hands. "Master," he said.
"What is going on?" Luke shouted.
"No, not now," Leia whispered.
Snoke's ship cruised down and landed. The wind whipped up and the company shielded their eyes from the grass and earth flying everywhere. The ship sat crouched like a huge scaly claw clutching the ground. No one moved.
The hatch opened and Snoke's throne slid down the drawbridge. All eyes turned to the creature on the huge, black chair, gliding toward them.
"What the hell are you doing?" asked Leia. She looked around at everyone waiting for Snoke to descend. "I'm finished with these scabby old men, dropping out of nowhere to fight their stupid battles."
Snoke giggled and opened his crusty mouth. "Ah, Princess Leia," he said. "How nice to see you. I am glad you are here."
"Why, you foul beast," Leia said, sneering at him, "I smelled you coming from space. You are finished torturing my son with your Dark Side evil, you dirty, slimy gutbag."
"You tell him, Leia," Luke said.
She withered him with a look. "Fat lot of good you've done, brother. This thing has been inside Ben's mind and what do you do about it? Not one thing. Don't get me started on you. You have green milk all over you. It's disgusting."
Luke rolled his eyes.
"Madame," Snoke said.
"General," Leia corrected.
Snoke inclined his misshapen head. "Of course. My apologies. I am here to end my apprenticeship with your son. He is useless to me since the girl took him." He smiled and indicated Rey.
Leia looked at Rey. "Took him? What does that mean?"
Rey shrugged. "Ben is mine, just as I am his."
Leia nodded crisply at Rey. She rolled her eyes at Snoke, drooling and winking to himself.
"Just as well, Snoke, or whatever you call yourself these days. Crawl back to the swamp you crawled out of." Leia waved her hand. "Leave my family alone."
Snoke giggled. Rey made a face. He was disgusting. "Just one more thing," he said. "One tiny detail." He crooked a long, hideous finger at Kylo Ren. Kylo was drawn toward Snoke as if pulled by a string. Snoke flung Kylo flat to the ground.
"No, Master," Kylo gasped, raising himself up on one elbow. "I am sorry."
Then the pain began for Kylo Ren. "Kylo, Knight of Ren, you are useless and weak. You are nothing to me. You have failed every test you have been given."
Kylo again fell to the ground, grunting in pain. He writhed.
"Stop it," Rey shouted. "Stop it now."
"He must die in pain," Snoke said. "You will be next. Unless you wish to join me, Rey."
"Not this day," Luke shouted. He grabbed his nephew's light saber, flicked it on, and ran at Snoke, swinging it wildly. Snoke spared a glance and knocked Luke backwards. Luke rose for a minute and lay still, groaning. The saber fell useless beside him.
Leia shouted to the others. "He's killing my son. He is killing him. We need help."
Rey fell to the ground and pulled Ben to her. "Ben," she said intently, "Fight it. Fight the pain. He can't hurt you. Go with me."
He was sweating and groaning, still in pain. He looked at her with wild eyes. "Make him stop," he whispered.
"Ben," she said. "You can do it yourself. Fight him. Make him stop. I will help."
Leia crouched and gathered her son into her arms. "Ben, listen to me. Fight this evil. Follow Rey. We love you. Let this horrible beast go. Be done with him."
Chewy, Poe, and even Finn, ran at Snoke with lasers blasting. He was unaffected. He swept one crabbed hand at them. They all fell heavily and lay silent on the ground.
Rey crawled into Ben's arms. "Focus on us," she begged. He closed his eyes.
"I can't," he gritted out. "I can't see. It is too dark for me. Too dark."
Leia growled and rose. "Enough!" she shouted at Snoke. "Begone!" She began to concentrate. She raised her hand and sent crackles of lightning at the creature. "You cannot have my child. He is not yours." Snoke knocked her down and she lay panting on the ground, holding her head, blood dripping from her brow.
Rey watched every one of her friends laid flat by this evil thing. She rose, leaving her lover on the ground.
She picked up Luke's light saber. "All right, you piece of Bantha shit," she said, taking up a fighting stance. "You will not take him. You will not." She curled her lip and gritted her teeth.
"Come on, girlie. You think you are stronger than the Skywalkers. Come and get me," Snoke said. He pointed a finger at her. She was ready for him. She sidestepped the rotten energy emitted from his body.
"Leave Ben alone," she said, holding up the saber, "Or I will end you here and now."
He cackled. "Your lover is weak. He cannot withstand the pain. He is crawling away as we speak. We will see how long it takes him to die. Then it's your turn."
Rey did not turn around, but she heard the movement of Ben's body as he dragged himself away from Snoke.
"Get off that throne and fight," Rey said. "Quit hiding." She swished the saber. "You fight like a weakling. You cannot even stand up. Step down."
"Why should I when I have the Dark Side at my disposal? I can take your life with a thought, a word."
Rey held firm in her stance. "If you had that power, you would have killed us all by now. You can hurt, but you can't kill, can you? You are the weak one, picking on children and making them do your dirty work. The Sith are dead. Go back to your diseased hole."
Snoke spluttered with rage. His throne glided closer to Rey. She did not take a step back. "I can and I will kill you both." He raised a finger.
From behind her, Ben shouted, "Rey, get down." She threw herself on the ground as a red light saber whirled through the air, end over end.
Snoke screamed as he tried to stop it, grappled for it, and slipped on his own throne. Ben stood tall and strong. He lifted a hand to push his red saber deep into Snoke's crabbed body. Snoke disintegrated into black smoke and blew off toward the sea.
Snoke's guards ran down the drawbridge. "No," said Ben. "There is no need. He is gone." The red light saber crackled and hummed. The guards stopped in their tracks. Ben shut it down.
Rey flew into Ben's arms. He caught her up as she wound her legs around his waist and pressed her mouth against his. He tossed the saber to the ground and wrapped both arms around his love.
"Ben," Rey said softly, breaking off the kiss.
He smiled warmly at her. "I am free. I am free." He kissed her again and again.
General Leia decreed that her son, Ben Solo, had been a victim of the creature Snoke's mind control. She pressed no charges. There was no jail or chains or recriminations.
Except those of a mother, who believed she failed her son. She watched Ben play with his own children like she had never played with him. Ben was not afraid of either twin, the Dark one or the Light one. He and Rey loved them both equally.
The Dark youngling saw her grandmother watching their play and ran up to Leia. "Is the Dark Side always bad, grandmother? Remember when we thought it was?"
She sat up straighter in her chair and pulled the little girl onto her lap. "No, it is not," she answered slowly, "I remember that we didn't know as much about the Force as we do now. Your father has taught me much about the Dark Side. I believe we all have a bit of both."
Leita smiled at her gran. "I have more Dark and Ani has more Light, I think."
Leia hugged her tightly. "Yes, that is what your papa says, my sweet child. Your mother, father, and all of us love you for it."
"Papa helps me when I feel too much," Leita said.
"I know he does," Leia said. "He's gotten very good at it."
Leia looked over at her Dark son, Ben Solo. He had taken his name back but hadn't lost his basic identity. Ben was still at base a Dark Sider, but the cruelty and anger drifted into focus and intensity as it should have. He and Rey integrated and merged their two halves into a complete Balance, a strong dyad. Rey teased him that he was indeed The Chosen One who had walked through fire to achieve Balance. Ben said he couldn't have done it without Rey, so she had to be The Chosen One. In the end, they were the Chosen Two, the Chosen Dyad, as it had always been and ever was. Dark and Light, Light and Dark, together.