Author's note: okay everybody, we'll see how this goes...but I'm going to try to publish everything I've written so far in the next few days. It's going to be a lot, but I prefer bing-reading as a reader myself and I'm beginning to think I'll enjoy that more as an author as well. So feast and famine it must be. :) Here goes nothing; enjoy. :)

- D.

Luke's eyes snapped open and he gasped, blinking tears from his eyes. He'd been meditating when Ben had died. Suddenly, unexpectedly...violently. The blinding pain and sudden nothingness broke Luke's soul and heavy guilt he always wore broke his shoulders down as well. The image of a skinny young boy with a smile as wide as the galaxy flashed before his minds eye, followed by images of that boy growing up, growing older, darker, more afraid. The terrified dark eyes of a fifteen year old boy who desperately warded off his Master's attacks, tripping over the young bodies of his victims... Tears pouring down his face as he begged him not to kill him, begged for forgiveness...and was offered none...The image of a tall dark figure, swathed in dark robes, snapping violently in the wind as he viciously cut down his victims with ease. Muscular frame striding through ranks as though he'd been born for war and death, and a dark mask hiding any remnants of the face he used to own... covering up any resemblance he may have had to that sobbing fifteen year old boy, afraid for his life and terrified of his crimes...

Luke bowed his head in shame and wished, not for the first or last time, that he could have saved the boy...that he had saved the boy. That he hadn't chased him away from redemption—but no. Ben had made his choice...Luke had made mistakes...but the ultimate choice was in Ben's hands. He folded his hands and pressed them to his mouth, a low moan escaping, only to be heard by his ears...he was alone here. Always alone...it was better this way. He reached for Leia, but quickly withdrew, thinking better of reaching for his twin. She was suffering as well no doubt, he would not burden her with his guilt and shame in their grief. He would reach to her after he'd collected himself. Instead, he sat back up and straightened his spine, closing his burning eyes and reaching into the force to feel it, to find comfort. The vast expanse of it rolled over him in waves, like warm water on a sunlight beach. He could feel the flower stretching up next to him and the power singing from the ocean beneath the cliff he meditated upon. Farther he reached, feeling until he felt the force through the entire planet...and the next one over...stretching across the galaxy and into the next, losing himself in the soft cadence of it and relaxing into the warmth.

But suddenly his attention was drawn to a flickering flaming tendril that trembled in the wind. There was immense power in this little vine...but it was merely a seedling, just barely old enough to stretch for the light. It trembled in unspeakable fear and grief, hinting at darkness though it's composition was of the light. Luke frowned and reached for it, this was out of place, there was something wrong with this little one. As he fingered it, he was surprised to feel it react and pull away slightly before leaning into him. This child, a boy he sensed, was acutely aware of his developing force...he'd never come across a child like this. There was the potential of great power glowing in his soul, but he was far to young to recognize or process it yet. Yet he was so comfortable with his little meager force he wielded, he reached with it as though he were reaching with his own little physical fingers and Luke's newfound grief roared it's wounded head again as he remembers how Ben's unique force had felt straining against his own.

He wrapped the little child up in his force and spread himself around him like a blanket, absorbing the child's fear and sorrow to deter it from infecting the light here. The boy sighed and the little vine wrapped itself around Luke and curled up into him.

"What is your name child?" He asked gently, forgetting his own grief to hold the child's. Her eas an infant who was completely alone in the universe.

"Sai."Came the response timidly, through quiet sobs.

Luke's heart ached at he stroked the little vine of power in his grasp and asked, "Why are you crying Sai?"

"I m-miss my D-daddy...I c-can't feel h-him anym-more..." Came the exhausted response. As the little boy said "Daddy" an image flashed before Luke's eye of a large man in a dirty little ship cradling the boy. He had a dark and dirty top knot at the back of his head and a long solemn face. Luke could tell it wasn't' simply the child's perspective that made this man look huge. He was large, and powerful both in physique and Force Power. Luke gasped as he felt the man's power flickering with vivid strength in a Dark and yet...strangely gentle manner. Luke wouldn't have recognized him if it weren't for his force. He had a thick scar that ran from his forehead to his jaw and he noticed, through the child's observation that even when he smiled softly at the boy, his dark gaze was heavy and sad.

"Even if there is a sand monster," the father's now deepened voice promised with a smile, "I'd take him down before he ever even came close to you."

The boy, Sai giggled, looking up at his father. "What?" The man asked, smile splitting as wide as the galaxy. "You don't think I could?"

The Boy thought to himself, as he paused and studied his father's face, that his father would take down ten billion sand monsters to protect him, and as Luke stared at the face of a man he'd never met before this moment, he agreed with the boys silent, unspoken belief.

"Don't go away." Sai whispered before drifting off to sleep.

"I won't."Luke promised the precious child. Waiting until the child was fast asleep to let his pain and grief swell up around him like the ocean and unanswered questions overwhelm him,

"Ben? Yoda? Father?" He asked into the force, "I don't understand! What does this mean? I don't understand!"

It was his father who responded, appearing before him in luminescence and kneeling before him to give a quiet smile and caress the face of the sleeping child in his arms.

"Father," he asked, How is this possible?"

"You know how." Anakin answered, raising his gaze to meet Luke's. When Luke opened his mouth to deny the knowledge that evaded him Anakin sighed and placed his hand over Luke's forehead.

A terrified man stared back at him, Ben's eyes were wild with fear and dark, foreboding, terror as he set his son in the cock-pit of an x-wing. He took a deep breath to try and control his voice and said, "I love your mother, and she loves me, and we both love you more than you'll ever know. That's the most important thing you ever need to remember, Sai. Love is the strongest thing in the world, alright? No matter what anyone else tells you, whether they be a Jedi, or a general, or a Teacher or a friend, you remember that your father told you Love is the strongest thing in the galaxy, alright? Can you do that?"

"Yes." Sai nodded, tears flooding his own green speckled eyes. "I love you, Daddy." His bottom lip trembled.

"I know." Ben nodded, jaw twitching in agitation. "I know buddy, I know." Then he cupped the little face in both his hands and looked the boy square in the face. "Those ships out there, they're coming because they want your mother and I. They can't know about you, alright? They can't know anything about you, ever. You're a secret, okay? Do you understand me?"

"Yeah." Sai nodded, tears dribbling down his round cheeks. "But why?"

"Because they're evil people. There are evil people every where Sai. On every side of a war. There is no good reason for war...but there are good reasons to fight, alright? No matter what happens to us after this you gotta make me a promise, okay?-No matter what kind of a man you grow up to be-" Ben's voice broke and he had to stop, shuddering with sobs he was trying so desperately to mask from his son's observant eye. "You remember what is right, and you chase after it. You might not always catch it but don't give up. Chase it! Remember that love is the strongest thing in the Galaxy and always to chase after what is good. Can you promise that?"

"Yes." Sai whispered in return...

Suddenly the scene changed ever so slightly and Luke watched in horror as little hands slapped against the window in terror as the little boy screamed,

"No! Don't go, Daddy! Don't die!"

"Go to the coordinates, Sai!" Ben yelled so he'd hear him through the glass, tears clouding his eyes, "Go to the coordinates, you hear me? I love you, son." he choked on his words and turned his back on Sai, running from the banging of little fists on a glass hood and the terrified screams of a little boy begging his father not to run into the face of certain death.

Luke moaned and pulled the child closer to his chest, cradling the last remnant of Ben there was left in the universe. He stared back at his father's immortal face, blurring the image in his tears as Anakin gave him a tired smile and replied,

"You know what this means, Luke."

Luke nodded. It meant like like Darth Vader, Kylo Ren had eventually decided that his son was more precious than any power...his son was someone worth dying for. As Anakin faded away again and he coddled the small child in his arms, a broken smile wound it's way around his lips as Luke realized he didn't need to mourn his mistake...Ben had found the light on his own. Many lives had been paid for it, including Ben's own...but he had found something worth loving and dying for. Luke held the most precious person of Ben Solo's life and death in his arms.

R**********************************************************************************************************************************R

Finn moaned at twisted violently in the throes of a nightmare. Sweat painted his skin and mingled with his blood. Snow began to fall quietly, and he hardly even noticed-although he'd never seen snow in person before. It was soft and cold and pure white, but it flickered red as Kylo Ren approached him, saber humming, shoulders heaving in fury. Tears stung in Finn's eyes as he grit his teeth and roared at the monster. AS though he had a right to have fury! He'd killed Han, he might have killed Rey...he couldn't get the sharp crack her body had made as it was hurled into the tree out of his head. His heartbeat was going so fast it was more of a humm than a rhythm and it harmonized with hise opponent's lightsaber as he threw himself forward, hoping his anger and fury would be enough to take this beast down...he'd already been injured, perhaps if Finn hit him hard enough-

And then Kylo Ren was on top of him, shoving him into the unforgiving bark of the tree and pushing down, down, down and the heat was coming for him to eat him alive as he could only scream as it devoured the flesh of his shoulder-

Suddenly the snow was hot...and brown rather than white. The snow turned to sand and the trees were blown away to reveal the bare, massive slopes of dunes and a man was staring at him. Kylo Ren was staring at him, but he wasn't him...he was...a child? Kylo Ren was...different. Replacing the thick dark robes were year-old rags, his hair was mostly pulled away from his face in a knot at the top of his skull, he had a thick gnarled scar across his face-Rey put that there, his brain was able to flounder up and answer to that-, he was...pink? Yes, the sun was painting him a violent pink, and blisters bubbled across his shoulders as he shuffled the child-Finn?- into a pilot seat.

"Those ships out there," It was strange to hear his voice outside the mask. It was trembling...terrified...ships? What ships? Had the resistance found them? Was Finn a captive? Would they rescue him? Even if he'd left them? Kylo Ren continued, "they're coming because they want your mother and I. They can't know about you, alright? They can't know anything about you, ever. You're a secret, okay? Do you understand me?" Secret? Was this a dream? It was so real...so real...he could feel a much smaller heart than his own drilling insistently in it's tiny little ribcage. He could smell the fumes of the ship as it started up…

"That's what the timer is for. If your Mama's not here when you hit zero-" Kylo Ren choked on his own words,"You leave her here. Kay? You might have to leave both your mother and I here, but it's going to be okay, because you remember what I said?"

"That love is the strongest this in the galaxy?"The child's face twisted suspiciously. Finn wanted out of this dream, he wanted to scream and pound the living daylights out of the man in front of him for killing Rey. And Simultaneously he wanted to pull this little child into his arms and hide him from this monster...but the monster loved the child. He wanted out of this dream, it made no sense.

Time skipped again.

"Daddy," Daddy? Finn needed out. Needed out. What was his brain doing to him? " are you and Mama going to die?" The child asked with a both terrified and knowing look. Die? Who was going to kill them?

"The force is with you, Sai." Kylo Ren promised instead of answering...wait, someone was going to kill Kylo Ren? "And as long as the force is with you, you'll have your mother and I as well." he pressed a kiss to the child's forehead and Finn squirmed. He was going to be sick, violently, and wretchedly sick.

"No! Don't go, Daddy! Don't die!" Tiny hands beat the windshield...and everything happened so quickly...the timer ticked down, and he slingshotted out into space and the ships came after him, but Kylo crushed them and then he was hurtling into space and the coolant flap failed he'd been shot too many times, and he was spiraling out of control and vomiting, and trying to pull up in time to not flatten himself on the planet's surface, and pulled the emergency chute but it didn't work. And little hands worked magic and the ship crashed but didn't crush and he cried, and wretched and tried to get out but the hull was crunched closed and he was trapped, and there wasn't enough air and he was supposed to get to Luke, Luke would take care of him, but he was going to die here and he couldn't breathe-

Finn woke up gasping. Shudders shaking his entire frame, muscles twitching and seizing without command. He sat up and turned to face the room, certain that Kylo Ren was there...or the ships, coming for them, or...what was real? What was that? He considered vomiting for a moment but decided on a glass of water instead. He stood and swayed for a moment as his vision threatened to fail him altogether and leaned heavily against the wall. When his vision returned to his control he righted his pants as they were twisted around him from his thrashing. He didn't bother putting a shirt on as he staggered into the kitchen, tripping over an antique engine piece, and fumbling around the ice-box for a bottle. He straightened as he drank, metal pieces of his artificial spine clicking quietly as he did so. The resistance had replaced his severed spine with a robotic one and their best medics had repaired much of his Central Nervous system when Kylo Ren had halved it.

Finn glanced around the room at all the antiques and small appliances he had littering every horizontal space. He sighed, at this rate he'd never pay the resistance back. He wasn't skilled in much, and polishing and refurbishing antiques only made you so much when you were stuck on this side of the city. He might have to go back and serve the resistance for a few more years if he wanted to remove his debt. He couldn't go back though, he couldn't go back to those bases, those corridors those hangars where Rey had been. He couldn't. He thought that maybe a few years would take away some of the pain. It had been seven. Nothing had changed.

He took another swig of water and swished it around his mouth. Clicking the BroadCast screen on and leaning against the counter. If he'd become proficient in anything over the past seven years it was distracting himself. A brightly colored add flashed across the screen and he sipped at his water.

"Next up!" The announcer chattered excitedly, "We got the exclusive privilege of going live with our ProtectiveForce as they explore a recent crash landing! They are suiting up! We'll be back in ten minutes to investigate what this," The camera showed a picture of a crashed X-wing, half buried in debris, "Little ship is doing, on illegal burial grounds, and if we're lucky, we'll get an exclusive look at the sentencing as well." Eyebrows waggled excitedly and Finn's mouth ran dry.

It wasn't a dream. Well, it was a dream..but it wasn't just a dream. They buried trespassers on illegal burial grounds. Buried them alive. And if his dream was true...there was a kid in that shuttle. A kid who needed to get to Luke.

Finn dropped the bottle and grabbed his go bag and a sweatshirt as he flew out the door...ten minutes...ten minutes. He was five minutes away. He stuffed a blaster down the back of his waistband and pulled his shirt on as he ran down the rusted flights of stairs on his apartment building.

"Well, hello, baby!" One of the neighboring females called as he struggled with the article of clothing. "If you're looking for a place to hide out, you could-" She rolled her eyes as he ignored her and went back to her previous interest. He shouldered his go bag and set out in a trained run across through the flickering lights of tens-of-thousands of florescent bulbs and neon shades.

He had to get there in time. He had to reach that shuttle before the ProtectiveForce.

From across the galaxy Luke nodded in satisfaction. The man had taken the idea.

Don't worry, little one. Someone is coming for you. Someone is coming.

The little tendril of light hummed contentedly in his arms but did not wake.