Ben's hands shook as he pulled on his shirt. He reached for the buttons only to realize there were no buttons left. They were scattered at his feet, a casualty of their love making. He kept his back to Rey, his face a mask of fear. He'd seen the vision in her head, had seen his worst fear come to life.

What scared him the most is that it was eerily like his own vision. He'd tried to tell himself they were nothing, that they were only created from some deep, dark place in his subconscious. But, if Rey had them too…

"Ben," she called softly to him.

He slowly turned towards her, his shirt flapping softly in the breeze. The storm had rolled by on its way to some other part of the planet, leaving the day cool and breezy. She looked up at him, her worry etched in her features.

"How long have you had the visions?" he asked, almost accusingly.

She drew back, as if he had struck her. She looked everywhere but him, her lip slightly quivering. "I've had them for a while… but it's never been my death I see," she answered.

"Who's then?" he asked.

Her eyes found his again, the first signs of tears in her vision. "Yours," she answered softly.

With a sigh, Ben sat down on the soft patch of grass overlooking the large ocean. The waves crashed below them, but their fury in their movements had died down. Silence became their companion for a while as Ben tried to process this.

He had visions of Rey's death. She had visions of his death. What did that mean? Rey slowly scooted towards him until she was close enough to place her hand upon his arm. He looked up from his hands, his worry evident in his eyes.

He reached for her, bringing her into his lap as he hugged her to his chest. She wrapped her arms around his neck, her breath slightly fanning his skin. Ben tried to ease his fears, tried to ignore the burning sensation in the pit of his stomach that screamed he would lose her.

"I won't let anything happen to you, Rey." He wasn't sure if he was trying to make her believe that or himself.

She leaned back, searching his face. Her hand brushed his cheek, feather-like, as she bent down to kiss him. "As long as we are together nothing can harm us, Ben," she whispered.

He lifted her chin to catch her eyes, needing her to understand what lengths he would go to to keep her safe. "I'd give my very life to protect you."

Her hand covered his mouth, a tear running down her cheek. "Don't say such things. Saying them will make them come true, and I can't lose you," she said, her voice shaking.

For a while, he held her until the vision became just a memory. They watched the sun move through the sky, until the fear and worry blew away from them like the wind. By the time they stood to head back to the huts for supper, they were smiling again.

On their walk back, Ben gave Rey pointers about today's training. She listened intently, nodding her head in understanding. He lifted her up when he needed to, praising her on her strength and understanding. By the time they made it back, their spirits were better.

The meal was already sat out on the table, hot bread and cabbage soup, when they walked into Luke's hut. The three sat in comfortable silence as they ate their meal. Ben looked between his uncle and Rey, softly smiling behind his bread. He could only imagine what a sight the three of them made to the inhabitants of the island. Such an odd threesome.

His uncle caught his eye, and the older man dipped his head in acknowledgment. Ben returned the gesture. He'd always wished their relationship was different. He always wished he could have been closer to his uncle. Ben would never admit it, pride stealing his voice, but he admired the man more than anyone… except his own father. Han would always reign supreme in his mind of the kind of man he wanted to be, but Luke wasn't too far behind.

His respect only grew as his eyes turned to Rey. She had come such a long way in a short time. Gone was the fearful, scared girl he had met all those months ago. She'd had the world against her from the start, but she had taken her lot in life and turned it for the better. Ben wondered what kind of man he would have become if their roles were reversed, if he would have grown up without parents who loved and supported him and in the hands of cruel and evil people. Who would he have become if he would have faced what she faced?

'You would have still become the person you are now, Ben. There is no doubt in my mind.' Rey's eyes slowly rose towards him, her lips twitching in a low smile. She could hear what he was thinking.

"Well, I'm off to bed," Luke said, breaking into their subconscious discussion. "You kids don't…"

Luke's voice trailed off as a powerful force blew into the hut. The table they ate upon flew against the wall, along with their plates and cups. Luke fell back, just as Ben and Rey fell to their hands and knees. The wind blew above them at hurricane force, which made Ben cover his ears. What was happening?

Suddenly, the wind died down, but the sounds that replaced it were more frightening. Ben raised his eyes above him to see a large black shape slowly hovering over them. From the black shape came screams. Hundreds of voices rising in unison of fear and terror.

"Help us!" they cried.

"No!" others cried.

The black shape began to turn counter clockwise, the screams growing louder. Other sounds emerged, sounds of blaster fire and explosions. The more sounds fell from the black shape the faster it began to turn, until its speeds became dizzying. Ben grabbed his ears, slamming his eyes shut and silently pleading for the thing to stop.

Suddenly, the black shape came to a stop, the screams and noises growing silent. Ben slowly dropped his hands from his ears, opening his wide eyes to stare at the horrible thing. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Luke stand slowly to his feet, his own wide eyes watching the thing above them. He wanted to scream at his uncle to step back when he saw Luke step towards the black shape.

Before Luke reached it, the shape shot forward. It headed straight towards Rey. She tried to dodge out of its way, but it was too fast. The black shape pierced her chest, disappearing inside of her. Rey fell back, her body twitching in rapid movements. Both Ben and Luke moved around once, grabbing her arms and legs to keep her still. She fought violently against them, her mouth opening in a silent scream.

"Ben!" Luke yelled. "Find her!"

Ben tried to penetrate Rey's mind, but he couldn't get in. Something was blocking him. He tried again, only to be forcibly pushed back against the opposite wall. His arms and legs were pinned down, and he could barely move.

Rey's eyes shot open, eyes as black as the night sky outside their hut. She turned her head towards Luke, grabbing him by the throat. He scratched at her hand, desperate for a breath. She arose to her feet, bringing the older man with her and pulling him into the air above her head. When her mouth opened, it was not her voice that spoke.

"You have lost, old man," she hissed. "The Rebel scum are being crushed as we speak. Their base is burning! They run like cowards, but I will hunt the rest down and destroy them all!

"Rey… fight… him," Luke growled through breaths.

The hand holding him shook, but the smile upon Rey's distorted face grew. "I will destroy her too," it whispered, "her and the boy."

"Rey! Fight him!" Ben screamed from his place on the wall.

Her head slowly turned to him in an unnatural way. The pressure holding him back grew, until Ben cried out in pain. Ribs began to pop, his bones creaking. His lungs ceased to work, cutting off his cries of pain suddenly.

"N—NO!" Rey screamed.

Just as Ben felt himself passing out the pressure upon him disappeared. He fell to the ground, sucking in a loud breath. His cheek lay upon the cool surface of the hut, his eyes barely open. His body screamed in pain, which made him refuse to move for what seemed like an eternity.

Silence surrounded them as he turned his eyes towards Rey. She was laying on her back, her chest rising and falling swiftly. He couldn't move towards her, but watched as the black shape came out of her chest. It hovered over her for a moment before shooting out of the hut into the darkness.

As soon as it left her body, Rey's eyes shot open. Her back arched as she sucked in a loud breath. Her body fell back to the floor, convulsing. Ben reached out a hand and scooted his body towards her. It took three tries to make it to Rey, but the moment he did his hand found hers.

He entered her mind to find it in chaos. Fear and pain screamed all around him, almost knocking him out of her head, but he pushed against it. When he found her, he wrapped his arms around her shaking form and pulled her back. Her face was inches from his when their eyes opened. Gone was the blackness, and in its place was fearful eyes.

"B—Ben," she whispered.

"I'm okay," he said. "Uncle Luke?"

"I'm here," the man answered, but there was something in his voice Ben didn't like.

Ben pulled himself to his knees, his body screaming in protest. He ignored the pain. He pulled Rey to him. She sat against his chest, her body slightly shaking. Luke was leaning against the walls of the hut, sweat pouring from his face. Tears streamed down his cheeks, his face a mask of pain.

"Did you feel them?" Luke whispered, his eyes finding Ben's. "Hundreds of them gone… in the blink of an eye."

Ben had felt it through the chaos. He'd heard the screams of so many, and he had felt them being silenced. The Rebel Scum… The Resistance. His parents and best friends.

"We have to get to them," Ben said, pulling himself to his feet. The pain was subsiding.

He helped Rey to her feet, and she clung to him for support. Luke slowly raised his tear-streaked face to his nephew, his head slowly shaking.

"No, Ben. We can't help them right now."

The shock of his words took a few moments to process in Ben's fragile mind. All he could do was gawk at the man. Stunned, his eyes grew wide.

"Not help them? They're our family!" he said, angered.

Luke found the strength to rise from the floor and face his angered nephew. He wiped the tears from his face. "Your training isn't complete, yet. You're not ready… she's not ready," he said, pointing to Rey.

"I'm not going to just sit by as the Resistance is being slaughtered. We can help them, Uncle. As soon as they are safe we will come back. How can you turn your back on them? On your sister!" Ben screamed.

"Leia would agree with me if she were here. Some of them have found their way out and are safe. Stay here… I beg of you."

"I was wrong about you," Ben growled. "You're nothing but a coward."

He took a step towards the exit, but Luke reached out and grabbed his arm. "Do you think I don't know what I'm asking of you, to ignore the danger your parents and friends are in? When I was your age I was faced with that same choice!"

"And you chose to help them," Ben whispered, his angered eyes staring at his uncle.

"And I paid a price for it, Ben. Do not make the same mistake I made. This will not go the way you think if you leave before you and Rey are ready."

Ben pulled his arm out of Luke's hold and walked out of the hut. He didn't waste time on gathering their things, too afraid Luke would talk him out of leaving. He needed to get to his family. He needed to get to his friends. Their screams almost drove him to insanity as the memory played back over and over. Rey remained quiet at his side as he took her down towards the Millennium Falcon. He had parked it a ways away when he had returned from trying to leave the first time. To his relief, the ship was still there.

"We're leaving, Chewie. The Resistance has been attacked," Ben said. Chewie responded, his worry evident in his voice. The big Wookie never asked any questions.

They climbed into the ship. Ben placed Rey in the passenger seat, looking over her for a moment. She turned her body away, her face staring out of the window. Her arms wrapped around her stomach, as if she were protecting herself. For one fleeting moment he thought about leaving her with Luke, but he didn't won't her out of his sight, not after what happened earlier.

He brought the Millennium Falcon to life, the darkened cockpit lit up by all the buttons. When he glanced out into the night he saw Luke standing there watching them. He hesitated for a moment, hoping the man would change his mind and join them, but Luke turned his back and walked out of sight. He was choosing not to help the Resistance. Ben's anger for his uncle surged.

"Traitor," he whispered.

They shot off towards the sky, leaving Ahch-To behind them. Ben had no clue where to go. They wouldn't still be D'Qar. He was flying blindly. His hands slightly shook as he grabbed the com to reach out to anyone in the Resistance that possibly could be listening.

"Millennium Falcon to base." When he released the button he found nothing but static. Could he be too far away for him to reach them? "Millennium Falcon to base," he said again.

"White terrain… red underneath. A large rock formation in the center," Rey said, softly.

He looked over at her. She continued to look out into the darkness, still holding her stomach. Something was wrong with her, and as he reached out to touch her mind she whimpered. He drew back, not wanting to cause any further damage. Instead, he reached out for her hand.

"Crait," she said. "They're on Crait."

He found Crait and put the coordinates in the ship. There was nothing left to do but wait. He put the ship in autopilot and climbed from his chair. His knuckles lightly ran across Rey's cheek. Her eyes were closed, her breathing even. She was asleep.

Chewie was in the back of the ship pacing from one side to the other. His large frame took up half the area. When he saw Ben he spoke swiftly, his voice rising in anxiety. He held something out towards him, and Ben took it in his hands. It was a small speaking device. Chewie's voice rose again, his words coming out fast and furious.

"You can't reach him?" Ben said, confused.

Chewie grabbed the device, pushing the button and speaking into it. When he let go there was nothing. No noise. No static. He pushed it towards Ben and began to pace again, softly whining.

"Chewie, I'm sure my father is okay. He may have left it in D'Qar and that's why you can't reach him," Ben said, his mouth feeling like sandpaper. Chewie shook his head in response, his pacing picking up speed.

Ben took slow steps away from him, his heart pounding in his chest. No, he wouldn't think anything other than everyone was okay even as he remembered their screams. He turned awkwardly and went back to the front of the ship.

He sat down heavily, his face reflecting the red buttons in front of him. He looked out into the darkness of space, his mind moving faster than he could keep up with. He ignored the large lump in his throat, swallowing it down instead. He reached out for Rey, needing her calm in his mind, but she whimpered again in her sleep. He withdrew, feeling alone for the first time in a long time. He could reach out to his mother, but a fear so overwhelming it drowned him kept him from seeking her out. What if he found nothing? What if she wasn't there?

The planet Crait finally came into view hours later. Ben came out of his dark thoughts and grabbed the controls taking the Millennium Falcon out of autopilot. He broke the planet's atmosphere, blinded by the pure white ground. The large rock formation Rey spoke of was ahead of him. His com crackled with static, and then the sound of a familiar voice.

"Poe!" Ben said, excited.

"Ben? Ben is that you?" Poe said back.

"I'm coming in to the left of you guys. It's damn good to hear your voice!"

"Ben…" There was a pause. The longer Ben waited to hear his best friend speak the more his mind screamed something was wrong. "Just hurry."

A large part of the rock opened revealing a large hanger. Ben turned to ship towards it, landing with the experience of a Fleet pilot. When the smoke cleared there was a group of people waiting for them. Ben looked at their faces, some bloodied and bruised. Poe was there. Standing beside him was Finn and Rose.

Ben helped Rey out of her seat and they walked hand in hand down the ramp of the ship. The moment he got to his friends they grabbed him in a hug. Ben felt helpless as they wept, even Poe wept. He looked around at the remaining group and saw how they wept as well. Something was wrong. He let go of them, taking a step back.

"Where is everyone?" he asked, low.

"They—they ambushed us. We didn't know what was happening until it was too late. We got as many out as we could, but we lost more than we saved," Poe said, his voice thick with emotion.

"How many got out?" Ben asked, not wanting to know.

"Fifty," Rose whispered.

Fifty, out of over two hundred. Ben stepped back more, bending over as a wave of dizziness hit him. The Resistance had been almost wiped out. He had let them down by not being here. When he looked back at his friends, he felt ashamed. His eyes met every face, and the realization that his parents were not among the group hit him suddenly.

"Ben…" Finn started.

"Where are my parents?" Ben asked, interrupting him. No one spoke for a moment, their eyes looking to one another. Ben slowly stood. He looked at Poe.

"We were caught by a group of fighters. We'd never seen them before, but they wore black from head to toe. They were more skilled than anything we've ever encountered, more skilled than Stormtroopers. We were escorting your mother to one of the ships to leave. We got her out, but…"

A few people behind Poe grabbed their mouths as they wept openly.

"Hux's Knights," Rey whispered beside him.

"Where are my parents," Ben said again, low.

"We got your mother to safety. She's okay. She's here. Your father… he… he threw himself in front of one of the Knights to save your mother's life. He—he took a knife to the gut, but he bought us time to get out. We were able to grab him, but it's bad, Ben," Poe said, softly.

Ben felt as if someone had punched through his chest and ripped his heart out. He forgot how to breathe. Not his father…

"Where…" he said, only able to get one word out.

"I'll show you," Rose said.

Somehow, Ben found the strength to move. He followed Rose down a long, rocky corridor barely lit by a few wax candles in the walls. The further they went the colder the air became, as if they were walking down into a tomb.

They entered a small room, nothing like the med bay they had back on D'Qar. He found his mother first. She was sitting by a long bed made from the rocks of the cave. She looked up, tears in her eyes, and cried out at the sight of her son. She hurried towards him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Her body shook, her cries filling his ears. He could do nothing but hold her.

Ben slammed his eyes shut, refusing to look at the place where he knew his father was. He couldn't bring himself to face the truth. Instead, he held onto his mother like he used to do when he was a small boy, scared and hurt. She wept harder, her tears soaking into his shirt.

"He—he's been holding on for you. He knew you would come back," she whispered.

It was at that moment Ben finally opened his eyes. He finally looked over at where his father lay. They had covered him in blankets, but Ben could see a large, dark spot. He shook in his mother's arms.

"He—he doesn't have long, my son. Go to him… please," she begged.

Ben released her, walking towards his father on stoned legs. His vision blurred as the first of his tears made an appearance. Han's face was pale, as white as the surface of the planet they now found themselves on. He sat down on the chair his mother had occupied when he walked in. He felt her come up behind him, felt her hands lay upon his shoulders. Ben tried to speak, but his words failed him.

"Han, my love," his mother said, touching her husband's cheek softly. "Our son is home," she whispered.

Han turned his head slowly towards Ben. His eyes opened barely enough for him to see his son. Ben tried to give him a reassuring smile, but he couldn't move. He could barely breathe. This was a dream, had to be. He would wake up back in the hut on Ahch-To and everything would be fine.

"H—hey, k—kid," Han said, his voice weak. He moved his hand slowly towards Ben, and Ben grabbed him firmly in his hands. He brought his father's hand up to his mouth. They were cold like ice.

"You're going to be okay," Ben said, his voice cracking.

"T—take care o—of your m—mother," Han breathed.

"No, dad," Ben said, hurriedly. He leaned closer to his dad, trying to get the man to look at him. His eyes were beginning to glaze over. "That's your job. You're going to be okay. We are going to get you all better."

He grabbed Han's face, gently pulling him towards his own. For just a moment, Han's eyes cleared. He looked at his son, his lips twitching in a small smile. "You were my—you were my greatest adventure," he whispered.

Han took one final breath, his eyes glazing over for the last time. They stared at his son, unseeing. Ben's eyes went wide, searching his father's face. Behind him, Leia let out with a soul splitting cry that could be heard through the rock formation. The world around him crept away as he continued to wait for his father to speak. Ben continued to wait for this larger than life man to blink with life. He never would do any of those things again. His father was dead.

Ben carefully placed his father's head back down, but he refused to let go of his hand. Leia fell on top of Han, her cries growing louder. As if in some dream Ben stood from his father's body and staggered away. He needed to get as far away from the room as he could get. No matter where he went his father's death followed him, until he came to a dead end.

Ben dropped to his knees. All of his strength seeped from his body. He grabbed his head, his hands pulling at his hair. There was no way to describe the loss he felt, no way to describe the hole he felt in his chest. He could barely breathe. He sucked in a breath, his lungs burning. Tears streamed down his face.

Arms wrapped around him. He grabbed a hold of them, as if they could save him from this pain. He turned into Rey's embrace, crushing himself to her, and finally let go of his pain and a thunderous cry.