Rey.

A soft voice, spoken through the dark, yet somehow coming from inside her. She stirred in her sleep. A dream? It had to be a dream. This wouldn't happen now, not after Crait.

Rey... I know you can hear me.

Her eyes fluttered open. In that moment, all sound in the room went muffled, as if a giant hand had pushed it down. Across from her bed, she saw his dark form, hunched over in an invisible seat. He was looking straight at her, hair falling in his face. His expression was strange, unreadable.

A wave of emotion washed over her, but she clamped down on it and tightened her lips. Saying nothing, she stared back at him.

A flicker of pain passed over his face. Rey, please. I...I need to hear you speak.

"What do you want me to say, Ben?" she answered, not hiding the tiredness she felt. "You're the new Supreme Leader, I'm fighting with the Resistance. There's nothing to say."

I don't want you to say anything. I just... He rubbed his hands together nervously. I want to hear your voice. You can call me a monster, if you like. I know what I am.

She felt herself soften. Studying him through the darkness, she looked for clues to his wellbeing. It wasn't encouraging. He seemed more pale and drawn than ever. His black costume, so impressive when they first met, struck her as dull, maybe even threadbare. The spirit had gone out of him tonight - that much was clear.

"You're not a monster," she whispered. His gaze jumped to her face in surprise. Taking heart, she pressed forward. "I can sense your feelings. It doesn't give me any pleasure, you know... seeing you this way."

He softened too. I know. Another pause. He looked at the floor, the wall, anything but her, clearly gathering courage. Finally he sighed, and when he looked at her again, it was with frank honesty. Rey...everything is wrong. Everything. I try to ignore it, but sometimes, I can't even breathe. I saw the visions. I know... He swallowed. ...I know you're supposed to be here. With me.

A flutter tickled Rey's stomach, only to be snuffed out by the heavy weight of sadness. She blinked against a sudden stinging in her eyes. "And you're supposed to be here. With me."

Where did we go wrong?

"I don't know. But I need you to know I feel the pain too. And when you asked me to stay with you...I wanted to say yes." A tear escaped her eye despite her best efforts. "Ben..."

Her words seemed to go straight to his core. His carefully schooled expression faltered, and for a moment the pain was evident in his knit eyebrows, his dark eyes. Though that pain disappeared as quickly as it came, something in him seemed permanently changed. Rising from his seat, he moved to her bedside and knelt on the floor.

At first she expected nothing more than a touch of his hand. To her amazement, he took her hand and raised it to his lips. The heat of his skin, the passion of his kiss came to her unbroken through the Force bond. It was a demonstration of just how powerful he was, his ability to perform this one simple act over the light years.

Rey let the tears flow openly now. "Ben...don't ever let go. It's not too late to be what you might have been. Please, try to believe that."

He shook his head violently. I can't. I can't believe that. His eyes locked onto hers, a thousand feelings roiling in their depths. But I believe in you...and to me, that's enough.

"I can't save you, Ben."

That's not what I meant. Rey...you are so much more than you know. You are... His voice cracked. You are light and breath. No matter what happens to me, you will always be there. And you can save them.

She had no words. She couldn't even grasp what he had said to her - and she wasn't sure she ever would. So she just stared, numb and overwhelmed, as he leaned in and kissed her forehead.

Just be, he whispered.

Then he was gone, and she was left alone, curling around a tender ache deep inside.