Author's Note: I do not own Star Wars.

In the Darkness, You Save Me

He was in front of her again. Her dream picked up from where it had left off, not even a heartbeat had been skipped.

Looking in to his eyes, she saw worry and care. Ben's eyes. She lifted her hand to touch his face, to trace the scar that she had given him. Half way towards it, she froze. Returning her gaze to his eyes, she recoiled. Those eyes. The worry and care was torn away, replaced by a predatory rage. The brown orbs looked black now, burning through her.

Those eyes did not belong to Ben.

Then, fearfully, she realised that they did not belong to Kylo either.

Retreating, she backed herself in to a corner of the surrounding darkness of her dream, which had become a nightmare. He approached her, a grin developing on his face. She had never seen Kylo smile, but this was not him. The smile was petrifying and predatory, as though whatever this was was baring its teeth in preparation for attack.

Just before he reached her, he let out a growl. An animalistic growl that definitely did not belong to or even be able to originate from a human.

Instinctively, Rey put her hand out in front of her to stop him from coming any closer. However, he carried on approaching, only freezing once her hand suddenly made contact with his chest. Rey gasped. That tingle. The burn. The familiarity. Despite his burning eyes, this was her Ben. No, just Ben. Not hers. Just Ben Solo. The Ben she knew. Not the animal that seemed to have taken over him.

When her hand did not pull away from its contact with his body, the animalistic nature that had been taking over the dream retreated. Rey suddenly felt the emptiness she had felt inside herself disappear. When the burning, black eyes returned to that familiar brown, Rey held her breath as she saw pain and anger turn in to shock.

Speechless, he stood in front of her breathing heavily at the realisation that she was alive.

"Ben," she whispered, concern showing in her eyes at his silence. Despite being silent since Crait, up until earlier today, his muteness scared her, as did the look in his eyes. He looked as though he was seeing a ghost, and it only made him appear more vulnerable than she had ever seen him.

Ben. This was definitely Ben.

As they stared at each other, Kylo gave in. He reached his hand up. Despite her hand on his chest, he had feel her skin against his own. He had to make sure she was real, not just a dream. He had to feel her.

As his hand got closer, he could feel her natural body heat radiating off of her body and it made his breath hitch in his throat. Gulping, he carried on.

He was about to reach her when suddenly the connection broke.

Bolting upright in his bed, he realised. She's alive. Rey is alive, but why had he not been able to feel her through the bond?

Why now, through her dreams and touch, would the bond make itself known again after being seemingly severed?

Realisation dawned on him. When she was hit on the cliff, the connection of their bond was abruptly severed. The bond must have been damaged, not to mention any injuries she had sustained, which would have inhibited the bond's strength.

He had thought she was gone. He had felt so empty and alone.

Now, he knew she was alive.

He had heard her say his birth name, a sound that would have normally made him recoil, yet in her voice had sounded so perfectly right. She was his weakness, but since he had realised that he had not lost her, he found himself not feeling so furious with the acknowledgement.

She was alive. That's all that mattered right now. After his day of worry, concern and rage motivated by loss, feeling her presence through the bond made him release a sigh of relief. Yet before it was fully expelled, he froze.

She was laying on the ground in front of him, barely conscious. She was pale, a glistening layer of sweat visible on her forehead. Rushing to her side, he knelt beside her. Instinctively looking for injury, his eyes hurriedly roamed her body, until they saw her ankle. It was bandaged, an injury she must have obtained after the volcano eruption, he realised. It had been tended to, but it didn't look right.

Carefully, Kylo peeled back the blood-soaked bandages, only to reveal the worst of what he had expected. Her injury to her ankle was infected.

That explains why she looks so unwell, he thought.

Returning his eyes, to her face, his brown ones met hers. She was whispering something to him, but it was so quiet and muffled that he could not understand her. Frowning, Kylo was aware that his concern for her must have been obvious and visible, but considering the state of her in front of him, Kylo did not find himself caring about being disgustingly vulnerable, not after he thought he would never see her, or hear her voice, again.

As the connection started to collapse, as it normally did after several minutes, Kylo found himself not wanting it to end. He could not leave her alone in this state. He willed the force to maintain the connection, but failed. His own vulnerability and weakness had taken its toll. He watched her fade away, but not before he saw a pressure build around her hand and wrist, instantaneous purple bruises forming. A scream formed on her lips, but she faded away along with their connection, leaving a panicked Kylo kneeling on the ground of his quarters, leaving anger to rise within him.

He would not lose her again. Enemies or not, he needed her. He just hoped that she needed him too.

"Rey!"

Something pulled on her arm, yet she could not feel any pain. Hearing blaster fire, she used what energy she could to open her eyes, only for it to be slightly effective. Over her, she saw Finn, Rose and the rest of the Resistance members.

What were all the Resistance members doing out of the cave all of a sudden?

Following their blaster fire and their eyes, she turned to her hand. A tentacle was wrapped around her wrist, blinking up to who it belonged to, Rey saw the same black eyes she had seen in her dream. The eyes that had transformed from Ben's, but weren't his.

Attempting to pull her arm away, Rey winced in pain as she finally returned to full consciousness. It had a tight hold on her and was starting to pull her in to the water.

"Rey!" she heard shouted behind her again.

The blaster fire cascaded over the water, creating a beautiful reflection. Finally, a shot struck the creature by the side of its head, causing it to retreat suddenly, releasing Rey's wrist in the process.

Attempting to get to her feet, Rey felt someone grab her other arm to help her.

Pulled in to the centre with everyone else, Rey saw that it was Rose holding her, fear evident on her face.

"It's circling!" Finn shouted.

As Rey turned to where he was looking, she could see it floating in the water. It had a tentacle for a tongue that captured its prey.

Black eyes that showed no emotion except predatory hunger.

A scaled body, with a hint of green.

It was half the size of a transporter ship, easily outweighing all of those on this tiny island.

It started to growl, stopping in the water. As it turned towards them, everyone started to retreated backwards slightly. The blaster had skimmed its head, but left no evidence. They had no other weapons, so Rey instinctively reached for her lightsaber. Activating it, she saw the black eyes return to her. Seeing its previously intended prey, its eyes narrowed slightly.

Despite her limp and the pain, Rey could not let them all die. They were her family, and they would do the same for her, they already proved that when she was captured in the water the day before.

Limping forward, in the moonlight her lightsaber shone, emitting a blue glow over its surroundings, as it buzzed with energy. The obvious challenge she was offering caused the creature to rise out of the water. It was taller than her, than all of them.

She heard everyone gasp behind her in fear.

It looked like a dog. It had a small snout and four legs, with a large tail extended behind it in to the water.

It's ear-deafening roar brought Rey back to her senses.

"Get in the cave!" She shouted to those behind her, initially they froze out of fear, but then did so. However, the creature got closer and roared again.

"Do it!" Rey shouted.

As they entered the cave, the creature roared again, rage evident in its stance.

Holding her lightsaber centred and pointing it to the sky. Rey breathed a calming breath to allow the force to overtake her, envelope her.

At the next roar, Rey's eyes opened sharply, a look of calm on her face, with the familiar, powerful energy running through her veins.

As the creature attacked, Rey blocked it with her lightsaber. At the contact, the creature howled in pain. With the force running through her veins, Rey forgot about her pain, her illness. She had to protect her family.

As the tentacle extended from its mouth, it grabbed Rey sharply by her uninjured wrist. Hissing in pain, Rey came about with her lightsaber, severing the tongue from its hold. As she shook off what remained of the tentacle from around her wrist, she returned her focus to the creature again. Howling in pain, it retreated quickly back in to the water, disappearing from sight.

As she turned around to those in the cave, she saw them start to walk cautiously back in to the moonlight, sighs of relief chorusing in the sea air.

Rey saw it then, in her peripheral vision. Focusing her gaze, a white light was coming towards them. The white light evolved in to several, before darkness overtook.