Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or anything that relates to Star Wars.

Summary: Sometimes consoling the enemy is the only way to move forward.

Pairing: Rey x Kylo Ren/Ben Solo [Reylo] [ReyBen]

Rating: T

Continuity: Post TLJ / Pre TROS

A/N: I'm getting more comfortable with angst, although I still can't deny myself the HEA lol Here's another short ficlet for Reylo Week over on Tumblr, under the Day 03: Grief prompt. I'm still working on my longer works, but it may take me a while to update due to my busy schedule. Thanks for reading!

Special Thanks: I like pandas and stuff (x10!) / Laxargames / ToughSpirit (x21!) / Fangirltopia1013 / mandorakat / amalina899 (x4!) / ArkhamAnnie / Gummybear1178 / TheLoneRebels 2.0 (2!) / WhiteDemonFeathers

Grief
By: sushigirlali

Observing the gathering crowd from the vantage point Poe had assigned her, Rey contemplated all that she had gained since leaving Jakku, and all that she had lost. The fantasy of having a family, of having a home to call her own, seemed all but impossible now. With death and destruction at every turn, she couldn't imagine a world where everlasting peace was possible.

Except in her dreams, of course. But Rey tried not to think about them. Or him.

And yet…

A sudden shift in the Force signaled her enemy's arrival. She'd expected him to come, had even wagered on it with Finn, but now that he was standing beside her, she wasn't quite sure how to feel.

"Hello, Rey," he said calmly.

"Ben," she acknowledged, glancing up at him from under her lashes.

His lips twitched with the barest hint of humor. "Kylo Ren," he corrected without heat.

"No," Rey refuted, turning to face him fully. "Today you're Ben Solo."

Ben's dark eyes narrowed on her defiant face, but he didn't contradict her again.

Letting out a relieved sigh, Rey nodded toward the somber procession of Resistance fighters, and the beautifully constructed glass coffin in their midst. "Did you feel it?" she asked. "Is that why you've come?"

"Yes," he said shortly, following her direction even though he couldn't see her surroundings. "How did it happen? Did she suffer?"

"The attack on the Raddus led to several unforeseen complications," she stated, trying to sound matter-of-fact when all she wanted to do was cry. "The long term effects of being exposed to the vacuum of space are, unsurprisingly, under researched and difficult to test. Especially for a Force-user. Leia was stable for a long time, but over the last few weeks, her health began declining rapidly. Our doctors weren't able to figure out why before–"

"Enough," Ben said harshly. Then, softer, "Please, just tell me: did she suffer?"

"No, we made sure she was comfortable until…the end," Rey assured him.

"Thank you," he said in an agonized whisper. "Thank you for doing what I should have done. If only I had prevented–"

"But it wasn't your fault," she interrupted. "Leia told me you had a shot at the bridge and didn't take it. It wasn't your fault, Ben."

"Yes, it was," he replied grimly. "I may not have pulled the trigger, but my actions led to her death all the same."

At a loss for words, Rey searched for some way to comfort him. Ben seemed determined to take responsibility for the General's passing, but Rey knew Leia wouldn't want that. She'd want him to grieve and move on, to know that she'd never given up on him, never stopped loving him. That regardless of what he'd done in the name of the darkside, there was still a way back for him.

"Do you want to see her?" she asked, knowing what to do now. "To attend her funeral?"

Ben sucked in a breath. "Is it safe?"

"Sure. Do you trust me?"

"What?"

Rey held out her hand. "Do you trust me?" she said earnestly.

He hesitated for a space of seconds before accepting her offer. "Yes."

Standing side by side for more than an hour, they silently paid their respects to the greatest warrior either of them had ever known. And when they finally parted, fingers clinging until the last possible moment, it wasn't as enemies, but as something more.

Feeling hopeful for the first time in a year, Rey smiled as Ben disappeared, once again confident that peace was possible in the galaxy.

-FIN-

A/N: I'm hoping to see TROS with some local Reylos because I am going to be a shitshow mess and don't want anyone else to see me haha