A/N: This is a one-shot, let me know if you'd like it to be a story

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Star Wars is owned by Lucasfilm, Disney, etc.

Cover picture credit to owner Jenny Dolfen. It's what inspired this :')

P.S. I'm mainly a first person writer so I apologize if you find any mistakes here, I proof read but just in case.

There was a time, I met a girl of a different kind

We ruled the world, I thought I'll never lose her out of sight

-Don't You Worry Child by Swedish House Mafia

Ben: 10 years old

Rey: 1 year old

Ben stared in disbelief. He was excited, but his ears couldn't believe what he heard even as his uncle beckoned him towards the meditation stone. It was what he dreamed about since the day his mother told him those famous stories about his family. He climbed onto the stone, sitting crossed legged and he smiled as the wind made his long hair fan his face.

"This is serious, Ben. Focus." His uncle smacked his arm with a long piece of grass, but he was smirking at his nephew.

The ten-year-old quickly composed his face to his usual solemn expression and looked up to his Uncle for guidance. The man with the never aging blue-green eyes gave him a curt nod of approval.

"Close your eyes, breathe, and reach out." He ordered the young boy.

Ben followed his orders and placed his palms firmly on the stone beneath him. It only took seconds for him to connect to the Force. He smiled. Now the full power of the Force seemed to rush over him. He could feel the land, the ocean, the creatures, the dead, peace, violence, cold, darkness...

He gasped, opening his eyes and taking in his surroundings. He wasn't on the island anymore. It was just him surrounded by darkness. Ben stood up warily and turned around sharply at the sound of a cry. It was a baby. No older than a year inside a crib, the only thing in this darkness other than him. She was wailing even though she had blankets, toys, and to Ben's sight, she was clean and unharmed. She was the prettiest baby he'd ever seen despite her tear stained face and messed up brown curls.

"Hey, what's wrong, baby?" Ben stepped towards her, hesitating to reach for her, but when she stopped crying to stare at him and reached her hands up he couldn't resist.

Her tiny hands went up to touch his hair and pat the skin exposed on his neck curiously. Ben looked around, looking for a sign. Maybe this was his uncle testing him or the Force? What could this mean?

"Are you real?" Ben whispered, poking her cheeks. They were warm and felt real enough.

The baby tilted her head up to look up at him and he quickly moved his hand to support her head as she broke into a toothless smile that could lit up even the darkest of days. He'd always wanted a sibling, even dared to ask his parents for one. Leia had smiled saying that he was all she ever needed, but it was clear that his father was more dedicated to smuggling than his own family and his mother dedicated to her building Resistance. So, he found himself alone, staring longingly whenever he saw siblings in Chandrila, the planet where he was born and raised mostly by nannies.

Ben chuckled, hugging her closely to his chest for a minute longer before placing a kiss on her forehead and setting her back down in her crib. She was about to cry again, but he took her stuffed toy and pretended hat it was raining kisses on her face. She giggled like a peal of bells.

"Yours… Protect her…"

Ben turned sharply at the sudden whisper at the back of his ear and was suddenly brought back to reality, except that every piece of stone was floating around him. His uncle was right in front of him shaking his shoulders until Ben scrambled away startled and the rocks dropped like rain.

"Ben? Ben, are you alright? You zoned out when you felt the darkness…" Luke says, helping him to his feet.

Ben cleared his throat, "Yes, Uncle. I'm alright. I was fighting the darkness, like you showed me how." He lied easily.

"Are you sure? You didn't experience anything else?" Luke narrowed his eyes at his nephew. The boy always had an unreadable expression, it was hard to doubt his words ever since he could speak.

"Yes, I'm sure." Ben replied firmly, but his hands still felt the tingle of the baby's Force. He wasn't sure why he lied, it was an instinct deep in his soul to protect her that he had yet to realize.

Ben: 12

Rey: 3

The next time he sees her he's training with his grandfather's lightsaber. He nearly stumbles into the toddler running around him chasing something he couldn't see. Ben blinked in surprise as she suddenly stopped to stare up at him and then to his lightsaber before a mischievous smirk crossed her lips and she was off and running again.

"Why you little tease…" Ben whispered with a laugh.

"Ben?" His fellow Padawan friend, Cregan, brought his attention back with a confused look.

"What? Yeah... Just give me a minute. I, uh, have to check on something." Ben turned off his lightsaber and ran to follow the toddler despite Cregan calling out for him.

She was giggling until she tripped on her own feet and Ben dove with arms outstretched to catch her.

"Gotcha! Are you alright, princess?" Ben stood up and helped her stand as he brushed away the dirt from her arms and knees. He saw that her cheeks were flushed and her skin warm like a fever and her brows were furrowed like if the sun was beating down at her.

She was alarmed from the scare, but her head moved up and down in a nod as she stared up at him.

"What were you chasing?" Ben asked curiously with a soft smile.

"Nothing. Just some ugly little creature. It got away." She says clearly in a voice like bells.

Ben crouched down to her level, "You've grown. Remember me? No, right? I'm Ben Solo. What's your name?"

"Rey." She replied shyly.

"Rey. A pretty name for a pretty girl." Ben grinned reaching out for some flowers up on the cliff wall beside them. Rey watched in awe as it floated down to Ben's hand and she stepped closer to watch him tie them together into a crown.

"Princess Rey." Ben settled the handmade crown on her head full of chocolate waves and she patted the flowers on her head in confusion. "They're called flowers. They are the most beautiful type of plants. Those are daisies specifically."

She grinned with her tiny milk teeth, "How you do that?"

"What? This?" Ben smirked as he made pebbles float around them.

Rey poked at them with a gaping mouth.

"It's called the Force. It's all around us, balance. I'm a Padawan, but one day I'll be a Jedi."

She tilted her head, gazing at him with innocent hazel eyes, "I want to be a Jedi. Can I, Ben? Like you? And I want one of those glowy things."

"A lightsaber. I don't know, Rey." He replied honestly, feeling how stronger her Force was since that first and last time he saw her. "You should head back home. You're not lost, right? Where do you live?"

"Nope. Home is over there. Tatooine." She pointed at rolling hills behind her and Ben hoped her house was visible.

Ben just about had a heart attack, "Outside in Tatooine all by yourself? No wonder you're all hot and sweaty! You know there's bad people there? That want to eat you. Get inside—" He fell on his butt when the little girl had had abruptly tumbled into him for a hug.

They laughed and Ben raised her high, even throwing her upwards with the Force and she squealed in delight when he caught her after standing up.

"Home. Now." He set her down and pushed her away gently.

"Bye-bye!" She waved before running off and disappearing.

"May the Force be with you, my Rey." Ben sighed longingly.

Ben: 15

Rey: 6

He got to see her every night since the day she turned five whereas before it had been twice a week. The bond had grown stronger as they aged. They now felt each other's emotions and Ben could speak to her telepathically, but she couldn't reply yet.

She was the highlight of his life. With her, he wasn't a Padawan he was Jedi Master Ben and she was the Padawan even though she couldn't use the Force.

"Rey, what are you doing?" Ben rolled his eyes when he caught her one time with her arm outstretched with the funniest scrunched up face.

"Trying to use the Force." The adorable four-year-old had said in a strained tone.

She was adorably stubborn, but oh so fierce. He accepted to train her in hand to hand combat, trained her on fighting with a lightsaber—a pretend stick one despite her annoyance—and stars, she was a fast learner. But the time he enjoyed the most with her were the times they cuddled up in his bed and he would tell her stories. True stories of the galaxy's history. Her favorite was the Luke Skywalker one and she had gasped in wonder when he told her his lightsaber belonged to his grandfather Anakin Skywalker, the Darth Vader. He'd tell her stories until she'd fall asleep. Whenever she asked about his parents he avoided the subject. It was easy to distract a child's curiosity. The truth was he hadn't heard from his parents since he tuned a teenager. It hurt, but Rey kept all the dark feelings at bay.

"Are you alone, Rey? I don't want people seeing you speak to yourself." Ben whispered when Rey appeared crossed leg on the floor of his hut where he had been practicing his calligraphy on his makeshift desk.

"Mommy went out and Daddy's in his room. He's probably asleep by now." She assured as she hopped to her feet and strode over to where he sat and she suddenly gasped like she always does when she remembers something. "Benny, guess what!"

"What, princess?" Ben chuckled at her excitement.

"I almost forgot. I have a gift for you." She dug around in her pocket.

"I'm curious now." Ben pursed his lips, setting down his pen as Rey moved to sit on his lap.

"For being my best friend." She opened her little hands and Ben saw a handmade bracelet. It was made of a black leather string with a tiny onyx gemstone as a charm.

"Stars... This is amazing, Rey." Ben breathed in awe and kissed the top of her head. "Thank you, Princess."

"It reminded me of your hair." She giggled as she tied it around my wrist.

"That's very thoughtful." Ben laughed already thinking of what to gift her with. She loved flowers and lightsabers...

Rey's head turned sharply, listening to something or someone I couldn't hear.

"Mommy, you're back early." She stood up to face her mother. "Where are we going...? Okay. May I pack first?"

After a moment, she turned back to me, "She's gone. Mommy and Daddy are going on a trip with me."

Ben furrowed his eyes, "Where? Why?"

Rey shrugged and Ben saw as she started to pack her things. Something was off. According to Rey, her parents barely spared her a glance, they were drinkers—not that Rey realized that, but at times Ben caught glimpses of her memories whenever he meditated around her as she practiced with a stick she used as a staff and he saw her parents were two-bit junkers that were always drinking—, and always left her by herself. Why suddenly were they going on a trip? With what money?

"You'll continue to train me with the lightsaber next time?" Rey asked hopefully, her three little buns shaking as she hopped excitedly.

"Of course, my Rey." Ben knelt and opened his arms for her. He could feel her Force and it was of the purest kind. "Maker protect you and may the Force be with you-"

"Always." She finished with a grin and Ben nodded.

A few hours later...

Hurt... Confusion... Fear.

These emotions hit Ben's heart like a crashing X-wing, he knew them well, but these weren't his emotions. He was in the middle of a class and stood up abruptly, drawing attention to his panicked self. Master Luke stopped talking to stare at him.

"NO! COME BACK!" A child screamed in terror.

"Rey." Ben ran out of the temple, halting outside to see Rey screaming up at the sky, tugging on something that had a tight grip on her arm.

"MOMMY! DADDY! COME BACK!" She screamed through tears.

"LET HER GO!" Ben used the Force unthinkingly, directing it at whatever had a hold on her. It was futile, all it did was split a close by boulder down the middle.

Rey seemed to notice him and he didn't hesitate on running towards her as she was being dragged away.

"BEN! HELP! BEN!" She shrieked in pure terror that sent a chill down his spine.

"REY! I GOT YOU! I'M HERE!" He reached for her hand, but as soon as they touched she was gone and he was left panting on his knees, the ground beneath him shaking with the Force.

"No... No!" Ben sobbed. He felt empty like the connection had been severed, like his heart had been taken along with her. It was gone. His Rey was gone from his heart, mind, and soul. All that was left was darkness.