Rey's boots sank into the moss-covered ground. Her fingertips ran over the bark of each tree she passed, and her feet seemed to pass through the roots and other obstacles in her path. Flashes of color between the trees should have made her wary, but something told her that the color belonged to something familiar. Something that felt like family.

The trees lining her path gave way to a small clearing. Green covered everything, and sunlight streamed through the canopy of leaves. The air was still, as if the surrounding forest held its breath. She reached a hand toward the massive tree.

A giggle made her pause, and she turned. A young girl with long, dark curls raced alongside a brunette boy. The two laughed and leapt over a thick root arching out of the ground.

They ran around the figure of Kylo, who took a step toward her with the widest smile on his face. "Our family, Rey."

Rey turned to watch the younglings and found Jessika and Sonzy lounging on a tree root. They laughed at something and made room for Kaydel to sit beside them.

Rey moved back to Kylo, feeling her own lips spread into a grin. "We have everything we've wanted."

Kylo's eyes widened slowly, and a look of fear replaced the smile on his lips. "Rey. Protect them."

Rey stepped toward him, worry flooding her veins. "Kylo, what – "

" – a normal life," Kylo whispered.

Rey reached for his outstretched hand, but it only met air. In her husband's place stood a woman with short, white blonde hair.

The green around her shriveled into black, dead foliage. The bodies of Rey's family lay across the ground.

Phasma's face twisted into a sneer, and she snatched Rey's wrist, wrenching her to the ground. "Long live the Jedi."

Rey sucked in a gasp of air, her arm swinging out instinctively. Kylo made a noise somewhere between pain and surprise as it connected with his chest. It took Rey a moment to get her bearings in the dark room, until the light next to Kylo's side of the bed flicked on.

"You all right?"

"Yeah. Yeah. Just a dream." Rey sat up slowly, her heart hammering in her chest. "You all right? I hit you."

"More of a shock than pain," he laughed. He rolled onto his side, brushing hair out of his eyes. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Rey rested her head against the wall, letting out a slow breath. "The tree." Kylo stiffened but did not say anything. She could feel his apprehension. Rey rubbed her hands over her face. "And Phasma."

Kylo took a deep breath and patted the bed next to him gently. "You're shivering."

Rey considered going to get a warm drink or even just taking a walk to clear her head, but something within her just wanted to be with Kylo. To make sure he was real. She slid back down with her back to him, and he wrapped an arm around her, pressing a kiss to her shoulder. Rey leaned against him, the warmth of his body and the beat of his heart steadying her.

She thought Kylo had fallen back asleep when he whispered, "Come with me tomorrow."

"To Ilum?"

She felt his nod against her hair. "To Ilum. You can help me find a crystal, like we did after the war."

Rey moved her arm down to wrap her fingers around Kylo's hand that rested against her stomach. "Knowing our luck lately, it won't be as simple as getting a crystal."

He snorted softly. "All the more reason for you to come with me. You can keep me out of a bacta tank for once."

Rey laughed and turned her head to look at him. "Maybe you'll make smarter decisions with my help."

He grinned and kissed her briefly before falling back onto the pillow. "I can make smart decisions without you."

Rey rolled her eyes and turned her head back around. "You decided to fight a rancor and stop a shuttle from crashing into a building without me. Oh, and you also went after a rogue criminal Force user after he'd thrown pieces of wood into your chest."

Kylo huffed a laugh that sent a warm breath of air across her shoulder. "Yeah, I love you, too."

"We think it's connected to another ring headed by a Force user." The blue holo of Sonzy's face, projected from R2-D2, flickered. "Like the one Vanis had on Coruscant."

"Yeah, only this one's a lot smarter." The holo shook, and half of Jessika's face appeared. "For one, they're on a planet we're not. And another, we haven't found them since first detecting their presence."

Kylo leaned against the back of the co-pilot's chair, running a hand through his hair. "Do you think they're still on Imoco?"

The two Jedi glanced at each other before Sonzy replied, "We're thinking they're not. Imoco's probably just a middle ground to get some smuggled goods."

"Nothing on what was in that box from Coruscant?" At another shake of their heads, Kylo sighed heavily. "All right. We'll be landing on Ilum soon. We should be done by the time you get here, and we can decide our next steps."

"Actually, Master, we'd like to detour to Kamino." Jessika shrugged slightly. "There's a lot of random ships that take off from Imoco to Kamino."

"All right. Let us know what you find, and we'll plan from there." He paused, his finger hovering over the comm's button. "And, good work. Both of you."

The projection of Jessika and Sonzy's beaming faces faded away, and R2-D2 made a series of beeps.

Rey gave him a smile of her own from the pilot's chair. "R2's right, you old softie."

Kylo raised an eyebrow. "And you aren't?"

Rey chuckled and slowly pulled back on the hyperspeed control. The Millennium Falcon shuddered slightly as it left hyperspace, giving them a view of a planet covered in ice. Rey pulled smoothly into the atmosphere.

Kylo climbed into the co-pilot's seat and pulled up the navigation. "About fifty klicks to the west." The system's sun sparkled on the ice until the Falcon flew under a dense array of clouds. The Force seemed to hum on Ilum, as if welcoming back Jedi who had cared for it for centuries.

"Careful on the landing; it'll be covered in ice."

Rey hummed in acknowledgement, although he detected a hint of irritation. "I know how to fly, Kylo."

The Falcon settled down in a flat stretch of ice. The first landing strut skidded a few meters before the other three hit the ground and stabilized the ship. Rey shot him a look that clearly said don't say it.

R2-D2 bleeped a series of complaints from the main hold.

It took them nearly ten minutes to bundle in thick coats, hats, and gloves, and to close the Falcon's ramp, leaving R2-D2 inside to keep the ship warm. The wind whipped at Kylo's face, and they huddled close together. Ahead loomed a solid expanse of an ice-covered rock, interrupted by a jagged cave opening.

A divot covered the expanse of rock above and beside the, and the ice leading to it was warped, forcing them to tread slowly to avoid slipping or twisting their ankles. The mouth to the cave itself had been artificially widened to fit vehicles. Evidence of the Empire's presence nearly a half century before.

Kylo's face warmed once they entered the cave, although the wind created eerie howls through the divots of rock. Light filtered through several holes in the ceiling high above, and rubble from what were once ancient statues lay by the walls. They climbed stairs that had been partially cut away into a ramp to enter another cave that expanded kilometers beyond what Kylo could see.

Rey pulled her saberstaff from her back and ignited one end to let the blue glow light their way.

Kylo cast out with the Force, feeling for the call of any crystal that might be in tune with him. "Sonzy and Eeth found their crystals last time pretty far in."

Rey nodded and wrapped her free, gloved hand around Kylo's. "Then let's get moving."

The few times Kylo had been in the crystal caves, the Force had always felt ancient, reflecting the thousands of Jedi that had passed through. Even with the Empire's excessive mining of the crystals to power their weapons, Kylo had never felt the strange nagging in the back of his mind as they sidestepped stalagmites and ducked under low ceilings.

They passed through a room in which Kylo had found his first crystal under Luke's guidance. The room split into three smaller corridors, and Kylo immediately took the center, trusting his instincts in the Force to guide him. They continued through several narrow passages that Kylo had to bend to Rey's height to traverse. His back protested after a few minutes, and he smacked his head against the low ceiling as he tried to alleviate the strain, making Rey jump with his yell of pain.

He let out a sigh of relief as he finally straightened in a huge chamber that could hold more than three of Finn and Poe's newly expanded home. Rey gave him an amused grin, although he saw her eyes flick to where his head throbbed.

Water dripped steadily into a pool of water. He stood in the middle of the chamber, casting out with the Force again.

"Your crystal should be in here." Rey raised her lightsaber, letting the light reflect off the water. "We can't go any further."

Kylo nodded slowly, chewing on his inner lip as he looked around the chamber. He pushed back the nagging feeling in the back of his mind. "The Force led me here, but I don't feel the call of a crystal."

"Maybe because you have your current crystal with you?"

Kylo took the lightsaber from his belt and used the Force to open the side of it. The purple crystal pulsed inside, the crack prominent across its surface. He pulled it from the encasing, holding it in his hand. His stomach twisted nervously.

"D'you feel that?" Rey turned toward the passage they had just traveled through.

Kylo's eyes stayed on his pulsing crystal. The hairs on the back of his neck rose. "Rey – "

"Something doesn't feel right." Rey activated the second blade on her staff.

"Rey, I don't think there are any kyber crystals here."

He finally looked up at her, and ice flooded his veins. Her fear raced through him. "Get your crystal back in your saber."

Kylo fumbled the crystal as the Force prickled through him. He dropped the saber and crystal to throw his hands out and stop the two blaster bolts in midair.

The light from the bolts illuminated the chamber better than Rey's lightsaber, casting the shadow of a lone figure by a pile of rocks near the pool's edge.

Kylo took a step toward the figure, letting the Force hold the bolts. "Show yourself!" The hairs on the back of his neck rose.

"Now, Ren, can't you tell you who I am?" The voice came not from behind the rocks but from the entrance to the chamber. "After all our time together? I'm offended."

The presence of several beings insensitive to the Force flooded his senses. They blocked the exit, some holding heavy blaster pistols and others with long pieces of equipment Kylo did not recognize. Black masks covered their faces. Phasma, standing in the front of the group, aimed a Stormtrooper's blaster pistol at Rey. "I'm surprised your legendary abilities didn't alert you to us. But then again, you never seemed to care about things that didn't involve the Force."

Kylo tensed and shifted toward his wife. He held out his hand to call for his dropped crystal but froze as the cool barrel of a blaster pressed against the back of his neck.

"I don't think you need that, Master Ren."

He could not feel the man behind him. But he recognized the voice. One that had haunted him for months. His heart seemed to drop into his stomach.

"Eeth."

Phasma stepped closer and kicked Kylo's disassembled saber behind her, the blaster still pointed at Rey. "Drop the lightsaber. I wouldn't want to find out how a stun affects that youngling of yours."

Fury raged through both Kylo and Rey. Kylo's eyes darted to lock with Rey's for a brief instant. The frozen blaster bolts shot toward Phasma's group, forcing the tall woman to dodge to the side. Rey spun and swung her deactivated saber staff at Eeth's head, and the Zabrak collapsed to the chamber floor.

The blaster bolts had taken out two of the masked figures, but the others surged forward. Kylo pulled Eeth's blaster into his hand with the Force and took several shots at the oncoming masked figures. One fell. Then two more. Kylo squeezed the trigger again, but nothing happened. He used the Force to fling the blaster into the head of the closest figure and then Force shoved the dazed person into three more.

Rey stepped in front of him, her saber spinning to deflect bolts. They shot into the chamber ceiling, raining rock down on them. Kylo held out a hand and made a pulling motion to move Eeth's limp form out of the path of a falling stalactite.

For the second time in less than five minutes, a blaster pressed against the back of his neck. Phasma's cool voice hissed next to his ear, "Your compassion will get you killed, Ren."

Rey held her saber up, the humming blue blade only a meter from both Kylo's and Phasma's heads. The blasters of the remaining four masked figures aimed at Rey. She exchanged another look with Kylo, but her fear laced through him. Phasma's group outnumbered them, and with the only exit blocked by blasters, they did not stand much of a chance of getting out unscathed.

Kylo cursed himself for not sensing the group earlier, for having his – albeit unreliable – lightsaber disassembled. He cast out with the Force, his mind racing to find a solution to this mess that did not end up with Rey or himself shot. He could sense Phasma's finger curling around her trigger and the uneasy excitement of the other people. And there. Something faint.

He locked eyes with Rey again and swallowed. "Did you follow us all this way to capture us? Why?"

"No, you were just an added bonus." The blaster pressed harder into Kylo's skin. "If you'll lower your weapon, girl, no one needs to get hurt. Even though you haven't extended that courtesy to my people."

Kylo's stomach twisted, and he licked his lips. "Then why come to Ilum?"

Phasma shifted behind him and made a noise of frustration. "The lightsaber, Rey Solo. Or I shoot your husband."

Rey took a deep breath, her expression hard, but she only tightened her grip on her lightsaber. "You trust you can shoot him faster than I can drive this through your head? Me, a Force user?"

Phasma growled, and the Force screamed a warning through Kylo. He pulled on its energy and wrenched hard without thinking. The blaster ripped from Phasma's hand, smashing into a rock, and Phasma fell the opposite direction, splashing into the pool of water. Behind the masked figures, lightsaber blades of yellow and green sprang to life, taking down the remainder of Phasma's people.

Kylo picked up the pieces of his lightsaber, placing the cracked kyber crystal back into its place. His heart hammered in his chest. "Thought you were going to Kamino?"

Jessika and Sonzy approached, their lightsabers humming at their sides. "Something told us we we're needed here."

Kylo met Phasma's furious gaze as he stood next to the two Jedi. Rey held her own lightsaber to the woman's throat. "You're wrong, Phasma. My compassion saved my life."