Chapter Two

He looked as he had on Crait.

Hurt.

"Rey," His voice echoed his plea in the throne room. Desperate, begging. He had held his hand out to her, offered her the galaxy, offered her everything. Now he stood, his posture stiff in the black tunic and pants that seemed to be his day to day garb.

Rey couldn't look at him, couldn't talk to him. To know that she had come so close, that she had confided in him, trusted him, and hoped in him, only to watch him continue on his destructive path that she could not follow. She still recalled the look of hope on his face as she had started to reach out, the trepidation. Knowing that he had trusted her, that he might not be so alone. All of that dashed when she went for Luke's lightsaber, that cut far deeper than any wound she had given him, the shared looks of betrayal as they struggled over the weapon.

Ben glanced down at the table, his eyes lingering on the pieces of Luke's lightsaber. Rey's audibly sharp inhale brought his eyes back to hers. The only thing Rey saw was him, standing in her room as if he were actually there, she couldn't see his surroundings but by the look of distaste he held towards the broken weapon she knew he could at least partly see hers. Briefly, Rey feared that he would figure out where she was, that he would find the meager remains of the Resistance.

She met his gaze with a look of defiance, "Luke is gone."

"I know," He replied nonchalantly.

Rey frowned, her tone harsh as she tried to hold back the burning in her eyes, "Are you happy now?"

Ben returned her frown with one of his own, "Happy that the man who tried to murder me, is gone?"

"That's not...he wasn't going to, if you had-"

"What would you have done?" He closed the distance between them in three long strides, his face a twisted scowl, "If your teacher, your uncle, the legendary Luke Skywalker, Jedi Master," He spit the words out as if they were poison on his lips.

Rey's brows furrowed, her mouth opened and ready to throw Ben's hatred back at him.

He towered over her, his body taunt, his voice strained with anger and bitterness, "If your idol, your hero, saw conflict in you and his first instinct was to strike you down, a frightened teenager?"

Any venom left Rey, instead her voice trembled, "He regretted that moment-"

"I'm sure he did," Ben snapped through bared teeth, curling his gloved hands into tight fists, "I saw the way he looked at me, even before. He sensed my power growing, with every misstep came the whispers of my grandfather's name as if I couldn't hear him and my father talking like I was already lost."

Instinctively Rey reached out and put a comforting hand on his shoulder, as she would have done for Finn or Rose or any other friend in need.

Both stiffened in shock. Rey gasped and removed her hand, left it hovering, unsure if she had really felt the texture of fabric on her fingertips or the heat from his body. Their eyes met as she replaced her hand, squeezing with her fingers both to confirm that she could feel him and reassure him in case words failed her, "I'm sorry Ben."

Strong muscles, stiff with rage, melted under her touch with a shudder that choked the air from his lungs. Eyes that burned with a passionate rage dampened, softening to a look of deep loss. Rey recognized that look of regret from Crait, right before she had shut the door of the Falcon and cut their bond, knew that he feared her shutting him out again after bearing his past to her. Ben's glove hit the floor and slowly he moved his bare hand closer.

His fingertips barely brushed her cheekbone, the lump in his throat growing as the two continued to speak volumes in the silence shared between them.

Finally he spoke, "You're cold."

A sharp knock on the door caused her to jump and spin around, "Rey!" Rose called from outside her room.

Rey turned. Ben was gone.

Rose knocked again, "Rey? Are you okay?"

Rey had to clear her throat before she could answer, "Fine, is everything alright?"

"Poe needs you at the command station, we have a problem," Rose said.

...

Ben blinked, he was back in the middle of a long hall on the Finalizer. Several stormtroopers walked past, giving him a wide berth. A technician working on an electrical panel, his face one of confusion, quickly looked down and went back to work as Ben scowled.

"Supreme Leader Ren?" A brave officer asked, her eyes following his outstretched hand as it fell to his side.

"I'm fine," Ben muttered, his glare sending her on her way. He knelt down to retrieve his glove, only to find nothing there.

...

"What's wrong?" Rey asked the gathered Resistance troops.

Poe was the first to answer, "We've got good news and bad news."

"What's the good news?" Rey asked.

"Our scouts have found several X-wings that appear to be in decent condition, old T-65s but at this point better than nothing, sitting in an abandoned pirates scrapyard" Poe started.

"And the bad news?" Rey asked what everyone in the room was thinking.

"We've gotten word that the First Order is deploying scores of probing droids to the Outer Rim," The pilot finished.

Murmurs and hushed whispers went through the crowd.

"If the First Order finds us we're done for," Finn said. Worry spread through the Resistance. The former stormtrooper shook his head, "We need to get off this planet, find another base."

The room erupted into argument.

"We have to give the General time,"

"What if they've already found her? What if we're on our own?"

"Our best chance is getting those X-wings, we need more firepower,"

"Who's to say those X-wings would even fly?"

"We need to evacuate,"

"Enough!" Poe yelled over the chaos. The room went quiet as everyone looked to their Commander, Poe shook his head, "We need to make sure those droids never find us, we'll increase patrols and if anyone comes across one, destroy them before you're spotted."

"They'll know something is picking off their droids," Finn said.

"Probes are destroyed everyday, besides," Poe continued, "We just need enough time to get those X-wings. With those and what we have now, we can at lease mount a defense if the First Order finds us."

There were a few dissenting opinions, one turned to Rey and asked her, "What does the Jedi think?"

Rey wasn't used to having all eyes on her, and the last thing she thought herself was a Jedi. Master Luke had never finished his lessons, and now that he was gone, she doubted there was anyone willing to train her. There was one, Ben has offered during their fight on Starkiller Base, the heat of his jagged lightsaber inches from her face still a vivid memory. Shaking the past from her mind she addressed the worried Resistance, "I agree with Poe. We stand a better chance with more fighters, and Leia won't let us down."

"Rey, I want you to lead the salvage team, bring us those X-wings," Poe said, "First thing tomorrow, double the patrols. The rest of you, make sure we're ready for a quick escape, I want those A-wings fully functional by dusk."

…

The tauntaun stopped and shook its head as Rey pulled up on the reins. Finn, Rose and the others stopped as well. The day had been less that fruitful, fresh snow, powdery and light, made their travel slow. She pulled her face cover down just low enough to scan the horizon with a set of binoculars. Nothing but dazzling whiteness blinding her eyes. At least in the desert a hint of metal would gleam off the light of the sun, but here the snow reflected everything. Not only was the environment against them, Rey's mind was elsewhere.

"Maybe we should call it a day?" Rose suggested, sensing Rey's distraction.

"We'll check over that ridge, and then turn back if we don't see anything," Rey conceded, putting the visor back down before her eyelashes froze. The pirates scrapyard was buried under last nights storm, even if they could find it, digging the X-wings out would be another matter entirely. Luck was not on their side, to the north another storm was brewing, grey clouds that promised more snow travelling their way.

"We need to turn back," Finn said.

Rey nodded, "Let's-"

The snow under them heaved and exploded in a flurry of claws and teeth, flinging Rey from her tauntaun and knocking the wind from her lungs. Reaching for her side, where Luke's lightsaber would be on her belt, her fingers felt nothing. Talons as long as her hand swiped through the air, catching on her clothing and ripping through the thick material like it wasn't even there.

…

"Supreme Leader?" General Hux bristled as Kylo Ren suddenly stood up, silence overtaking the table. A ripple of fear spread through the First Order leadership, their new leader's short temper well known through every unit. Gritting his teeth Hux asked again, his tone impatient and short, "Ren?"

Without a word Kylo Ren spun on his heels and left the room in a hurry, ignoring Hux's glare of hatred and leaving the remaining Generals in a stunned silence, but none dared to follow. Furrowing his brows General Hux growled, "Nevermind, we'll continue without him."

"Without the Supreme Leader?" Another asked.

"Let him go. Snuffing out the remainder of the Resistance and their allies is top priority," Hux stated, "Have any of the probes come back?"

"None yet, but the Outer Rim is vast and-"

"I don't want excuses," Hux growled, "Send more. Track down any sympathizers, break them until you get answers."

"Yes Sir," Was the answer from all. General Hux watched as holograms disappeared and scowled, he couldn't let Ren's erratic behavior destroy all the progress the First Order had made. They had been so close to wiping out the Resistance leadership on Crait, only to have victory stolen away by Ren's blind anger, that could not happen again. Hux watched from the window of the Finalizer as their fleet was being rebuilt, at the center, another Mandator IV-class Dreadnought, better armed and armored. Despite the heavy losses when the Supremacy and its accompanying Star Destroyers were obliterated, the First Order had never been stronger. Every day more systems fell into line, giving them more resources and manpower to extend their reach.

The Republic was no more, and General Hux was going to make sure nothing or no one stood in the way of the First Order's mission to bring law to a galaxy of chaos.

…

"Rey?" Ben's sharply concerned voice was distant but clear in Rey's mind, the only clear things she could hear through the pair of wampas' hoarse growls and the tauntaun's panicked screams. Blaster fire erupted around the predator, it swiped at the air as if to swat away annoying insects.

Rey rolled away as the wampa tried to grab her again, cold snow biting at her skin and blurring the vision on her goggles. All the layers made it hard to move, weighed her down. She tore the visor off and blindly reached for her staff, her fingers finding only snow.

"I'm a little busy right now," She yelled, trying to shut down the connection and focus on the creature in front of her.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw the second wampa charge the others. Finn and Rose fired on the white-furred monster, joined quickly by the rest of the scavenging team. It tackled Rose's tauntaun to the ground, crushing her under the weight of the struggling mount. Sharp claws came down, Rey barely rolled out the way, jumping to her feet and looking for her staff, for anything.

"Rey!" Ben called out, his concerned eyes frantically scanning, trying to see more than just her.

Finally Rey spotted her staff behind the wampa attacking her. Her boots slid in the snow as she dodged another swipe of claws that could take off an arm in one blow, or worse. She could see Ben ignite his lightsaber, not that that helped her as she dove behind the beast, her fingers grasping her staff. With a solid strike to the head Rey pushed the wampa back, it roared in pain and brought it's claws down. Her staff blocked the blow, it's strength reverberating down the weapon and through Rey's arms and shoulders.

With a sudden crack her staff snapped, sending Rey off balance. She pushed on, she had no choice, jabbing at the beast with the jagged ends, thick fur absorbing most of her attacks. The only thing she could see was the wampa in front of her and the red glow of Ben's lightsaber on the snow, illuminating his worried face. She reached for him and pulled with her mind. The look on his face changed from worry to confusion as he looked down, the hilt of his lightsaber rattled and started to leave his grip.

In a flash of red and a roar of pain the wampa in front of her fell, the fur on its back smoking from countless blaster shots. Rey looked up, breathless and heart racing, meeting Ben's eyes for a brief moment before Finn rushed towards her, passing through Ben's image.

"Rey! Rey!" Finn grabbed her by the shoulders, "Are you okay?"

She shook her head, Ben was gone. Still dazed from the attack she nodded, "Rose?"

"Fine, she's fine. But we've lost two tauntauns," Finn helped Rey to her feet, "Are you sure your okay?"

Nodding Rey knelt down to retrieve her broken staff. Without a weapon she was helpless, her aim with a blaster was terrible at best. "We need to get back," She said, pushing back the thought of calling Ben's lightsaber to her, pushing back the fact that she had started to pull it from his hand. Surely physical objects couldn't transverse their connection, but her mind wandered to the hut on Ahch-To, how she could feel the pressure and warmth of his fingers on hers. His touch on her cheek last night felt as real as if he had been standing there.

"Rey?" Finn was concerned.

"I'm fine, let's go," She helped the others load Rose onto a stretcher behind a tauntaun, moving aside supplies they would have needed to get the X-wings operational. The Resistance would have to survive another day, Rey just hoped the probes were on the other side of Hoth.

They made it back to Echo Base with the storm howling at their heels. The very last snowspeeder screamed into the hangar just before the bay doors closed. Finn and a medical droid were quick to attend to Rose, who insisted her injuries were nothing to worry about.

Poe climbed out of the snowspeeder, "We didn't spot any First Order droids."

Rey was glad at least one of them had good news, "No luck. We'll go out again tomorrow. This blizzard though-"

"We'll send a speeder with a scanner," Poe assured her.

"Don't you need those for patrols?" Rey didn't want to risk a probe slipping through their defenses.

"It's a risk, but we can't survive with just a handful of A-wings and snowspeeders," Poe said, "Get some rest Rey, tomorrow's a new day."

…

Even though Echo Base was deep within the frozen Hoth ground the storm outside raged, the howling night winds finding their way through even the smallest cracks. Rey's fingers brushed against her broken staff, now sitting next to Luke's broken lightsaber. The armory had other weapons, she had her choice of blasters, and Chewie had offered his bowcaster, but none of them felt quite right in her hands. For as long as she could remember her staff had saved her from other scavengers who would try to steal her food, and those that looked at her and only saw a lonely, weak woman. She had less training with the lightsaber, but the weapon felt like a natural extension of her arm and was easy to wield, her movements with the blade fluid.

For the next several hours she poured herself into the pages of the Jedi texts, there were intricate drawings of lightsabers and Kyber crystals, but no real instruction of how everything fit together. Part of her wished she had never touched the thing, wished she had never helped Finn or BB-8. She'd be back on Jakku, a simple scavenger, Rey from Nowhere. Nobody.

'But not to me,' Ben's voice echoed in her head. For a moment she thought he was speaking, but the hum of the shield generators and the howling winds were too loud, she was alone.

Rey was about to give up and head to the armory for a blaster, take a walk and clear her head, when the world went quiet. Ben didn't announce himself but she could feel him there, standing where he had before. He was silent, contemplating.

"Well?" Rey finally said after expecting him to start the conversation long ago. She knew what he was going to ask.

"How were you able to pull my lightsaber through this connection?" Ben replied, glancing at the many pieces of broken weaponry on her table, then to his lightsaber secure on his belt before meeting her eyes once more.

"I don't know. I saw a chance and I took it," Rey answered truthfully, she had no idea the extent of their bond, what they could or could not control.

"You need a weapon," Ben said.

"Afraid I'll take yours?" Rey smirked.

He frowned.

Rey was about to tell him how she had one, until their struggle over the lightsaber in Snoke's throne room had destroyed it, pushing them apart. She thought better of it, they had done enough to hurt each other, "I've read the texts, they're no help."

"I'll help you," Ben's voice was quiet, his frown replaced by a soft look, one Rey recognized from the elevator, his words echoing hers.

She wondered where she would if be she had taken his hand, if she could have turned him to the light by giving into the dark. There was still hope in Ben Solo, Snoke's hold on him was gone yet she saw the struggle behind his eyes. Pushing him away would only drive him further towards the monster Snoke was trying to create. Another voice lingered, Maz's last words to her on Takodana, 'The longing you seek is not behind you, it is in front of you.' For the longest time Rey thought she had meant Luke, now she wasn't so sure.

Rey saw another chance.

…

Author Notes: Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story! The Last Jedi is probably my favorite Star Wars movie, I love how complex the new generation of characters are, and how many different directions Episode IX could go.

I can't guarantee a regular update schedule. Currently I'm working two jobs, school and raising a toddler who insists on helping with everything, so I'll do my best but I hope you can be patient with me.

Thanks for the reviews as well, it's great to get feedback!