This pain, he was bounded by it. The Darkness lived inside him. It thrived on everlasting pain that consumed his insides. No matter how hard he tried to fight it, it kept eating away at him. The memories; his mother, his father, Luke… they haunted him in his dreams. His pain fed on those memories of his family, the family that abandoned him. He would never forget his lonely time with his uncle training at the temple. He felt so alone growing up. No one understood him. No one ever understood him, not even Snoke. But she did.

Rey understood him.

The connection they had, it was mysterious. The force was pulling them together through time and space. Snoke had said it was his doing, but he didn't believe it. He even could feel the darkside's manipulation through his words. It made him full with anger. He needed her. He tried to reach out to her.

"Rey, can you hear me?"

He felt nothing. He could see nothing. The last connection they had, ended in Rey shutting the door on him. Was she gone forever? He couldn't bear to lose her. The vision he saw when they touched hands painted a picture so clear, it gave him hope. He found comfort in it. He closed his eyes and meditated on it. He could see it so clearly.

He and Rey sat on a throne overlooking the galaxy. They were both dressed in black and on their heads sat crowns, the color of crisp red. The external room was white, juxtaposing their dark garments. Their children sat on either side of them, mirror images of their mother and father. He held his saber, which was jagged red. Rey held hers, a staff that had a double sided saber with both red light on either side. All people of the galaxy bowed before them, their true emperor and empress of the stars. This was the future. This was their future.

"Ben?"

It was her voice. But he couldn't see her. He gazed around his private quarters but she was nowhere. "Rey, I can't see you. Can you see me?" he spoke softly. There was a pause and then a sigh from her, "No. I cannot… and it's probably for the best." She replied. Confusion invaded his mind. The uneasiness of her voice worried him. "Why do you say that?" he blurted out, a tinge of anger in his voice. "Ben, you and I, the way we are right now…this cannot be. I saw you, when we touched hands. You returned to the light. You and I were overlooking the Jedi. Our children next to us, your mother behind you. And Luke…" she paused and then continued with a somber voice, "His ghost… he had his hand on your shoulder."

"No. He hates me!" he growled. These were lies. Luke never loved him. He was always looked down upon: by his uncle, by the other children at the academy, by his father. They never appreciated his raw potential. He had the mighty Skywalker blood in him. It was the same blood he shared with his grandfather, the great Anakin Skywalker turned Darth Vader. He stopped and caught his thoughts. Rey spoke again, her voice trembling. Was she crying?

"Ben…please…I need you. Come back to the light"

Suddenly something happened. He could feel the force. It was like a spark of electricity that overcame him. She was there in front of him. Her hair was completely down and her skin glowed. She was beautiful…but she was crying. Tears dripped down her plump cheeks. He stepped towards her, as he did this he ripped of his gloves. He wanted to hold her with his bare hands. He needed her to be in the comfort of Ben Solo, not Kylo Ren, the monster. These two identities fought each other in his heart constantly. He was always trying to be Kylo Ren, Lord of the Dark, the strong one, but she needed Ben. She made him feel what he always wanted: human

He cupped her cheek in his hand. He looked into her hazel eyes and she in return looked up at him. He leaned down so close to her face he could feel the heat coming off her. Their lips slowly inched closer together, until they touched. He repositioned his hand to her neck. It was so soft and smooth. She tasted sweet and spicy all at the same time that it confused his taste buds. He held her in his arms as their lips locked. He didn't want to ever let go. She was his and he was hers, forever and always.

Her lips slowly pull away from his, but their faces were still inches from each other. She spoke so softly any other person would not hear her, but he did because that's all he heard.

"Stay with me. Don't break my heart again. I can't bare it." Her voice was so broken, so desperate. He longed for her intensely. Her words tempted him to throw the darkness away. He could feel light inside his heart. It was taking over, coursing through his veins. But then it stopped.

The darkside. It lingered. The voice of Snoke spoke to him. "She's telling you lies. She doesn't love you. She just wants to control you. She will make you weak. Strike her down." Fear invaded his heart. He was not ready to let go of this hate. It comforted him. Did it comfort him more than her? He did not know. He tried to fight it back, the darkness. The internal fight consumed him. Tiny tears fell down his eyes.

"I can't" he cried.

It happened all too fast. She was gone. And now he was there by himself, holding an invisible space, the space she occupied only a second ago. He fell to his knees and cried in his hands, the hands that touched her. But they touched her no more.