Rey. Rey. Rey. Kylo gasped, clutching his side.

"Supreme Leader, what's wrong!" An officer cried in alarm. He was had just been in a meeting with a senior member of the First Order when he felt a blast of heat tear through his abdomen. Rey. He called out again with the Force. He had never done so before, he felt their bond as an ever-present spark of light in his very soul, and for the first time, he pulled at it with all his strength. Kylo had known instantly the pain came from her, it was cold, their bond felt cold. Rey.

"Supreme Leader!" The officer called out again this time in terror. He lifted his hand, blood, real blood. He grabbed the officer's shoulder, hauling himself up as another came to his other side to support his weight.

"Med bay now," he commanded.

Soldiers arrived, securing his path as doctors and med droids rushed to assist him. He felt light-headed as he was submerged in a pool of bacta. Please Rey, answer me. He almost screamed in frustration. Help Her! Kylo wanted to command his subordinates. It was impossible, she was light years away from him, hurt and in pain. A doctor offered him a sedative, he refused. He needed to be awake, logically to protect himself, but all he really thought about was the young girl who called him Ben so sweetly.

I'm here Rey. Please, please come to me.

When his condition was secured the doctors left, leaving the medical droids to monitor and assist him. A group of trusted few soldiers remained outside his door. Kylo closed his eyes, reaching out with the force he tried to throw himself through space, desperately trying to reach her.


Rey didn't comprehend what was happening. She was feverish, blacking in and out of conscious, the blaster had caused silk material from her dress to melt into her skin. Lady Caster's doctors rushed to assist her. They used Bacta to repair her organs and began administering blood transfusions. The most painful part was extracting the silk. Leia and Connix remained by her side throughout the ordeal. One of the guards had left to interrogate the would-be assassin, and C3PO was sending messages to the Resistance base on Mirrin Prime about the event.

She tried blocking out the pain, reaching deep inside her to find a moment of relief. Rey. She felt as if she were adrift in a great sea, the waves lulling her to sleep. Come to me, Rey. Who was calling her? She suddenly felt lost and alone. It's so cold. I'm here Rey come to me. She struggled, everything felt wrong, she needed to leave. Reaching out with her mind she felt herself engulfed in a strong warm embrace.

It hurts.

I know, it's okay, everything is going to be okay.

Ben?

I'm here, I'm always here.

Don't go.

Never, I'll never leave you.

Rey sighed, in the midst of all the pain she anchored herself to Kylo who wrapped around her in a psychic hold, stroking her fractured conscious with gentle waves. He pulled her into to him, showing her the secret place inside of him, the part he never let others see. It was was light and it was warm. A place where his mother whispered how proud she was, where his father held him when he couldn't sleep, where there was joy, happiness, and love. Rey basked in it and Kylo kept her close, shielding her from the outside world.


When she awoke she found herself in a medical bay, she sensed Leia and Connix outside her room, both in deep sleep. Glancing at the open window it revealed the night sky. A medical droid came to her side.

"No," Rey whispered. Taking the hint the droid did not wake her companions, administering medicine and health checks silently before returning to stasis.

The force tightened. Kylo appeared before her, he was half dressed, a compression bandage secured around his torso. Rey gave a small tired smile. She remembered the first time she saw him like this, it felt like such a long time ago. He immediately rushed to her, clasping her outstretched hand. Leaning over her small form Kylo tucked his face into her neck, breathing her in. It felt as if he was trying to bind her to him so she could never leave. Rey stroked his dark locks, his skin was sweaty and he panted heavily like he had just gone through battle.

"Thank you for being with me," her voice was soft. He shuddered.

"I thought for a moment you were gone," He murmured into her neck, nuzzling her there. Kylo took a moment to enjoy the solid feel of her, she was slightly pale but warm. Warm and alive, he clenched his teeth, breathing deeply, taking in her scent. Her hand was still clutched in his and he thumbed her wrist feeling her pulse point, he counted each beat.

Reluctantly, Kylo dragged himself away by an inch so he could stare directly into her eyes. Their lips were almost touching, they shared a breath between them.

"I… I didn't know what to do. I couldn't stand it, Rey. If you left for someplace I couldn't find you. I can't. Everything was so dark." His eyes squeezed shut.

Rey hummed in sympathy. She stroked his back, the sweat making him cold to the touch. Her hand reached the bandage. He had been wearing a compression bandage.

"Kylo?" She questioned. He shook his head and continued to hold her. Oh no.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered in anguish.

"Don't," he declared, weaving a hand through her hair to hold her to him. "It was nothing."
A moan of denial sounded from her throat, Kylo hushed her softly, he stroked at her now healed stomach with gentle fingers.

Rey moved to the side a little and Kylo didn't hesitate to accept the invitation, climbing into bed with her. He curled around her, her head resting on his shoulder as he drew delicate patterns on her stomach. The thought then occurred to Rey. If their wounds could psychically manifest in one another, then what would happen if one of them died?


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This chapter was so satisfying to write. I remember during their first force-bond in TLJ, when Rey shot Kylo with a blaster. I kept wondering wether if one of them were injured if other could feel it. Oddly enough, this chapter was very easy to write since I knew exactly how I wanted them to interact. I wanted to explore the psychic part of their relationship, particularly to contrast it with their interrogation scene in TFA.

Also, sorry for the wait. School starts tomorrow and I've barely done any work. I also hit a writers block for chapter 15 and 16. It's like I had all these ideas and possibilities but I don't know which was the right one. Still trudging through chapter 17 trying to figure out what to do. A lot of the times I'll write a chapter but then go back and change it to get a better outcome. One of the benefits in writing a few chapters ahead. I have the ending and key points planned out, writing this story feels like a journey trying to get to there.

Originally I wasn't planning on releasing this chapter until next week but it seems a few of you are pretty eager. Hopefully I'll see you guys soon.