Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. And I'm not making any money from this.

Author's Note: I've been wanting to write a Reylo fic since TFA but I've been struggling with writers block for about 3 years. (I haven't even touched the rough draft of my second novel in that time...) But TLJ really inspired me. I'm not a diehard fan of Star Wars, I mean I LOVE it but I'm not great with all the details like names and planets and races. So hopefully I don't make too many mistakes in this fic. If I do, please feel free to point it out so I can correct it.

Spoilers for The Last Jedi. If you haven't seen it yet, do it! I've seen it twice and already have plans to see it again.


He knelt on the red stained ground, broken and alone. The fear in his eyes hardly veiled by the anger and resentment he projected from himself in waves. It didn't take much to push past his defenses.

Pain. Fear. Loneliness.

Rey could feel how lost he believed himself to be. It was something she'd felt her entire life. Lost and alone.

"We need to take off!" a resistance fighter's voice called out to Chewie, breaking through her concentration.

His walls were back but they couldn't block her from seeing that fear in his eyes.

Rey had no choice but to close the door. As she did, one emotion rose up inside her: determination.

Ben Solo was not lost. There was still hope.


"What are your orders Supreme Leader?" General Hux snide voice greeted Kylo as he boarded once more.

"Pull out," Kylo Ren stated.

"But S-"

Kylo Ren cut off the general's voice easily. The man was a thorn in his side. He could easily snuff him out. Kylo felt the weakened pulse anxiously pumping away in his neck as Kylo tightened his force grip.

"I said pull out."

General Hux's body fell to the floor with a resounding thud.

"Right away sir."

Kylo didn't bother to watch the officer carry out his orders. He needed to get away, to find somewhere he could be alone in silence. The sooner the better.

It had taken years for Kylo to build up his defenses, to mask his true emotions from showing on his face. He'd given into his anger, the only emotion he would let loose. But now fear was creeping through. Fear of his past and future. Never before had he been so unsure of his path, his destiny.

It was all her fault.

What had possessed him to believe someone as bright as her would follow him into the wonders of the darkness of the universe? She was too good, too pure.

Kylo was destined for darkness. He was destined to rule all the black corners of the galaxy. He'd seen it in his dreams. And when their hands touched, it solidified his dreams. He was destined for dark and powerful greatness.

It was his path. His destiny.

No scavenger would change that. He'd been foolish to believe she would join him. She was blinded by hope.

Hope.

Such a foolish human philosophy. His parents had been blinded by the foolishness hope offered. But not he. Not the powerful Kylo Ren.

He would snuff out all hope. Hope was a characteristic of weakness. And Kylo Ren was anything but weak.


"Luke is gone," Rey said. She looked into the General's eyes, full of so many emotions: pain, longing, but most of all hope.

Leia nodded and took Rey's hand. "I know."

What was left of the Resistance, scattered about the bridge of the Millennium Falcon, struggling to heal the wounded but also rejoicing in their narrow escape.

"But it wasn't painful. It felt," Rey hesitated, searching for the right word. "Peaceful."

General Leia nodded, her eyes following BB-8 as he cheerfully beeped his way over to Captain Poe.

"How are we to build the Resistance from this?" Rey asked.

"We have all we need right here," Leia replied, resting her hands atop Rey's holding on to both halves of the lightsaber. "We have hope."


One Month Later

"Supreme Leader," General Hux carefully approached the black throne Kylo Ren sat upon. "There are rumors of an uprising."

Kylo Ren didn't flitch, didn't even move as he sat, silently, staring at the space above the General's head.

Hux was sure Kylo thought himself to look powerful and oppressive, sitting upon his cold and overbearing throne. The Supreme Leader cloaked himself in dark clothing and wore the scar on his face with pride. Ignore the fact it was a lowly scavenger girl who'd given it to him. Kylo acted as if the scar were a badge of honor, proof of his ferciness in battle. Hux knew it for the lie it was.

Several moments passed as Hux waited for a response, an order of how to proceed. But no such order came.

"What would you have us do, Supreme Leader," the title left his lips like a hideous snake leaping forward, hissing out a forked tongue. Kylo Ren didn't deserve the title. Hux anxiously waited for the day it'd be stripped from him. He just hoped he was there to see it.

"What progress have you made on finding the island?" Kylo Ren replied in an apathetic voice.

General Hux was taken aback. Their efforts should be spent on destroying what little was left of the Resistance. Instead this Supreme Leader, this hot-headed man-child was wasting all their time on searching for a fantasy temple.

"We are exhausting all our efforts; I assure you," Hux bowed his head, hoping to hide the disgust he felt inside.

"You. Assure. Me." Kylo's calm voice punched through the still air filling their dark surroundings.

Where Snoke had adorned his hall with deep reds, Kylo had filled with black emptiness. Everything was dark. Very little light penetrated the room. Everything Snoke had left behind, Kylo Ren had destroyed and removed.

Oh, he claimed it was the girl who had destroyed it all. But Hux knew the truth. No mere scavenger could deal the damage he had seen with his own eyes.

In a swift, singular motion, Kylo Ren rose, standing tall and powerful, demanding attention. The Knights on either side seemed to stand even taller, straighter.

General Hux averted his eyes, hiding his disgust in a mock of fear.

This man-child had only risen to power after a temper-tantrum, Hux was sure of it. But without proof, he had nothing to overthrow the worthless boy. To add insult to injury, Kylo had brought aboard his precious Knights of Ren. Pathetic.

"Why is it," Kylo Ren took slow, silent steps toward him, "you have failed to bring me even one hint of a discovery." The words bounced around the dark chamber without a hint of emotion. The Supreme Leader gave nothing away; only Hux's instinct told him he was in for a painful experience.

"Supreme Leader, I have sent my most-" Hux's words cut off as the oxygen left his lungs.

"I tire of your worthless explanations," Kylo Ren growled. "You should have brought me results long before now."

General Hux choked on nothing. His eyes widened in panic, his hands clawing at the space around his neck. He needed oxygen; he needed to breath.

"Bring me results!" Kylo Ren's words bounded throughout the chambers, bouncing off the black walls. With a flick of his wrist, Hux lurched forward, stopping just inches from the Supreme Leader. "Or I will replace you with someone who can."


"Another fleet has arrived General Poe," the resistance fighter burst through the doors, out of breath with excitement. "They've answered our call."

"Excellent!" Poe clapped the man on the back as he raced past him, intent on greeting the latest band of resistance fighters.

Sunlight struggled to filter through the dense fog-shrouded swamp surrounding the rebel base on Dagobah. It wasn't the ideal planet for a base but it was the best they could do under the circumstances. Once their numbers were built up again, they could plan a course for a new base, one on a planet with a more reliable climate.

The rebels had endured a seemingly never-ending rainstorm as they'd struggled to turn the swamp covered surface into a somewhat functioning base. They'd landed the Millennium Falcon in what Poe would hardly call a clearing. It'd taken all their combined efforts to construct temporary shelters and widen the clearing for transport pods to land in.

So far only three pods had arrived in the two weeks they'd been camping here.

"General!" A Mon Calamari was the first to step out of a small transport pod. "I bring twenty-three of the best fighters I could round up!"

"Qande Muko!" Poe jogged towards the fighters filing off the pod. "We've been expecting you. I trust there were no problems."

"None at all!" The Mon Calamari replied in a deep but light-hearted tone. "I just regret we weren't able to arrive sooner."

Poe's body tensed as flashbacks assaulted his mind. What he wouldn't give to have had these numbers, though on the smaller side, with him when the Resistance had been fighting for survival on Crait.

Countless nights he'd been hounded by the faces he'd never see again. And he only had himself to blame. If General Leia hadn't stopped him, would Poe have been their downfall?

"Let's get you all settled in. Captain Marami," Poe motioned for the young pilot to join them. "Would you show our newest recruits where they can find some food and a drink?"

"Of course, General Poe," Marami smiled at him and then turned her attention to the newest arrivals. "I know it's not much to look at but this base…" her voice trailed off as Poe departed.

"You look like you're in deep thought," Rey said as she matched his pace, walking alongside him.

Poe stopped, turning to face her, letting out a heavy sign. "Is this really it?" he asked with a wide gesture of his arms. "Is this really all that will come?"

Rey's gaze followed the sweep of his arms, taking in the Millenium Falcon behind them and the small number of rebels going about their business. "Perhaps," she shrugged, looking back at him. "Perhaps not. Don't lose hope."

"Rey! Poe!" Finn dashed towards them, skidding to a halt. His arms flailed before him as if they were struggling to keep up with his sudden change in pace. Behind him, BB-8 followed suit and chirped excitedly. "You'll never believe what I found!"

"Tell me it's something good," Poe's voice mirrored a hint of Finn's eagerness. He couldn't help it. Finn's emotions were infectious.

"There's this hut," Finn started, his eyes darting back and forth between his two friends. "It's small and been abandoned for some time. But it definitely didn't belong to any natives."

"Okay but-"

"Show me," Rey interrupted, her face filled with determination. "Show me the hut."


Please review! I hope to update as often as I can. You can now find me on Tumblr again as "drunkreylo"

Side Note: I write while drunk so if there's weird typos, that's why. Hopefully I caught them when I edited sober though.