Chapter 2: Awakening the Truth
Rey stared at the man in front of her as she suddenly felt a rush of ice cold calm her nerves. She remembers this feeling form her days on Ahch-To, it was how she kept training, and how she got through. He was the same person she had spoken to on an almost daily basis on Ahch-To. But there was something different about him, something different about this encounter. Rey always knew that there were two sides to this man. Kylo Ren and Ben Solo, sometimes Rey couldn't tell who she was dealing with. With the blank expression on his face, she could get a Kylo Ren temper tantrum or the soothing, loving words of Ben Solo. Rey wants to ask who she is talking to be instead says:
"How is this possible?" She questions, "Snoke is dead we shouldn't be seeing each other like this anymore."
Kylo Ren just sneered, "You naive fool! Snoke wasn't controlling this!"
"But he sai-"
"He lied! How can you trust someone who killed you friends and then tried to kill you, with sensitive information like that?"
"And how can I trust you!" She fired back, "You did all of those things to me! How do I know that you told the truth about my parent? Or about this?"
Kylo goes silent at this. Rey could see his jaw tense and his eyes narrow. Sometimes, at times like these, she could see Kylo Ren recede and see Ben Solo become known. She just wished that that day in the throne room he had chosen one identity, so she wouldn't torture herself any longer. She told herself she would be okay with him turning into Kylo Ren forever, but maybe, just maybe she wasn't ready to let go yet.
"I didn't lie to you." He says just above a whisper.
"And how do I know that that isn't a lie as well?"
Ben sighs, "You don't, you just have to trust me like you did in the throne room."
Rey's heart contracted at this. He made a good point; she had trusted him in the throne room, with her life and heart and he had failed. It fueled up anger so deep in herself that she didn't even know that she had it.
"Don't talk to me about that day like everything turned out right! That there was no damage. Half of the Resistance died! My friends could've been in the mist of them. You have no idea what that feels like!" Rey is screaming now, and Ben is looking at her his face hollow and emotionless. He opens his mouth to talk but Rey holds up a hand to silence him.
"I don't want to hear it, I don't ever want to see you again."
Ben dips his head and whispers, "You could've had it all. You're the one who said no to me not the other way around."
But before Rey can respond he vanishes. As soon as he's gone Rey feels the ice coldness of him leave her and starts to sweat and pant. The door then bursts open and Poe comes rushing in.
"You okay?" He asks, "We heard screaming."
"I'm fine." Rey says swallowing hard, "Just a nightmare."
Poe nods understandingly and responds, "I find it good to clean up in the refresher and then join your friend for breakfast."
Rey chuckles quietly and says, "Fine, I'll eat with you. Just give me a few minutes to clean off."
And with that, Rey walks into the refresher and closes the door behind her.
-:oOo:-
After breakfast, Rey ventures into the cockpit, takes the copilot seat, and runs her hands over the buttons and levers. She takes a deep breath and looks at the blue and white lights of hyperspace.
"Where are we going?" Rey asks, she turns to see Leia standing over her, looking sadly around the cockpit.
"Hoth, there is a base there, Echo. The Rebel Alliance abandoned it. I just hope that there are enough supplies for us to survive."
Rey nods and rises from seat. "I'll leave you alone with you thought."
Leia shakes her head and sits in the pilot seat. "I don't need a moment alone, Rey. It stirs up memories, ones I would love to forget. I just want to know if you're okay." Leia smiles earnestly.
Rey sighs and massages her temples. "I will never be okay, I never had since he took of that horrid mask. And I just want to forget, but sometimes I feel like if I forget everything, I would not have gained the Resistance, you Finn, Poe, or Luke."
Leia nods, "I understand. I sometimes wish that I could go back in time and change everything that happened with Ben, but then I think about everything I gained and think 'Maybe what happened wasn't so bad.'"
Rey releases her temples and fidgets with her finger in her lap. "I'm sorry I couldn't save him." She whispers.
Leia looks at Rey and a small smile tugs at the corner of her mouth. "You remind me of him, you know. The way you isolate yourself from others when you know a task must be complete."
Rey looks at Leia, a mix of awe and fear on her face. Leia just smiles wider, "Don't act so surprised, or scared Rey. I sent you there because I thought you could change him thought that you could bring him back. But sometimes, people aren't always meant to come back."
Rey nods, and the two sit there for a long time watching the blue and white light rush by them, and thinking about everything that had happened to them in the past few months, and how they would move forward for themselves and the Resistance.
-:oOo:-
Finn came somewhat peppy but still tired from Rose's small bedside to the common area. Poe sat next to Rey rambling about X-Wings just as his stride up and sat across from them both. As soon as Rey sees him she starts to laugh.
"Thank the Maker you came when you did. Poe was rambling on and on about X-Wings I honestly thought I was going to die the next time I heard X-Wing."
Finn flashes a rare, smile and his eyes start to brighten up. Rey hadn't seen him this happy in weeks.
"Has she woken up yet?" Poe asks.
"Actually, that's the reason I came." Finn says his voice excited, "She woke up about an hour ago."
"Oh Finn!" Rey says excitedly, "I'm so happy for you!"
Poe smiles, he stands and pat Finn on the back as he walks away. "I'm thirsty, and I'm going to get something to drink. Want anything?"
Finn smiles, "Some blue milk please."
Rey snorts and Finn looks at her funny, just as Poe walks away. "I didn't know you snorted."
Rey smiles mischievously, "There's a lot you don't know about me."
Finn sighs and looks around the Millennium Falcon,the Resistance has been shot down to merely twenty-five people who could easily live on the ship. He knew from talks with Poe and Connix that ever since the Battle of Crait, Rey had begun to distance herself from everyone else more.
"Rey, are you okay?" Finn asks.
Rey raises her right eyebrow and responds, "I'm fine, why do you ask?"
"I know you say you're okay, but I feel like you're not, that something is bothering you, that something you've seen has scared you tha-"
"I'm fine." Rey says sternly. She jumps up from her seat and rushes past Finn, "I'm going to see how Rose is doing."
Rey half walks half hogs to Rose's secluded room in the very back of the ship. When Rey walks in, Rose is propped up on a pillow flicking through a data pad. She hears Rey walk in and sets down the pad.
"Hey." Rey says, "May I come in?"
Rose grins, "Why shouldn't you? You a Jedi, anyone would be so happy to talk to you!"
Rey walks in and sits on the chair to Rose's left. "Trust me, nobody on this ship wants to talk to me."
Rose's grin falters a bit, "And why is that?" She asks
"Let's just say, they think that any second I'll whip out my lightsaber and kill them all." Rey grins too, she can't help it, with Rose it's contagious.
"Well, I've heard they think this because your so secluded and eerie like. Maybe, if you were more open, these feelings would go away."
Rey nods and says, "You know, that may have been the best advice I've been given all day."
Rose smiles and says, "Well I'm glad."
Rey and Rose sit with each other for hours talking about what had happened to them in the past few months. After a few hours, the Millennium Falcon rumbles, shakes, and lurches forward.
"What's happening?" Rose says panicking.
"We're here." Rey responds, "We've arrived at Hoth.
