The Pivotal Moment
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A/N-thank you to everyone who reviewed, favourited and followed this story.
Chapter Two-A Dyad in the Force
Kylo was entranced by the young scavenger girl. He couldn't help but admire her courage. In a short space of time she had gotten under his skin, pierced his defences as easily as a spider catches a fly. They were in a stand off now. She stood in front of him, wielding his lightsaber as if she owned it.
"What do you hope to achieve here?" He asked congenially, there was even a hint of amusement in his tone. "This place is swarming with storm troopers. You won't get very far."
"Don't be fooled by my appearance. I know what I'm doing." Rey lied boldly.
What am I doing?
"You do?" A sarcastic smile played about his full lips. "Ah, you do." He said, stepping forward.
Rey stood her ground. His red lightsaber seemed to spark and hiss in protest as if it was angry at being separated from its master. "Ben, you need to listen to me."
This provoked a reaction out of him. Kylo Ren's gloved hands curled into fists as he stepped forward aggressively, his dark eyes sparking with as much anger as his saber. "Don't call me that. Ben Solo is dead."
"Not yet. Not yet." Rey murmured.
Kylo shook his head in denial, scowling. His arm shot forward, his hand and fingers extended as he used the full power of the force to pry the lightsaber out of the scavenger girl's hands. To his surprise she didn't even fight him. His lightsaber flew out of her grasp and right into his. He curled his gloved fingers around the metal hilt eagerly.
Rey watched him warily. She saw the gleam of victory in his eyes as he lifted the plasma blade, seeming to admire the way his weapon sparked like a flickering flame. She swallowed thickly, still standing her ground. Despite the danger she was in, she had to believe he wouldn't hurt her. Even through their many battles, she always felt Ben had held himself back. He could have ended her life many times-even during their earliest encounters-he was a skilled warrior with the Jedi blade, had been trained by the best.
The distinctive hum of the lightsaber suddenly went silent as Kylo Ren shut it down. He seemed to have his sudden burst of temper under control again. "I know why you're here." He said, his tone gentle again, the same hint of amusement underneath.
"I told you why I'm here." Rey said again.
"You said you've been spending time with Han Solo." Kylo mused. "You're doing this for him. He feels like the father you never had. Through some twisted sense of loyalty to him you want to save me. Is that it, Rey from nowhere?"
Rey's lips twitched as she studied him carefully. "How do you know I'm from nowhere? You know nothing about me."
A small line of irritation formed between his brows. "I saw it inside your head."
"Did you? Really? I let you see only what I wanted you to see." Rey was the one stepping forward now. To her satisfaction she watched him take a step back. "You struggled to see inside my head. I fought you every step of the way, Ben Solo. I fascinate you. I can see it. I can tell. I'm an enigma, a mystery you want to solve."
"You seem very sure of yourself." Kylo sneered. "But you seem to forget, you're a prisoner on my ship."
"What I'm no longer a guest?" Rey laughed in his face.
"Don't push me, scavenger." Kylo warned her. "I'm running out of patience."
"And I'm running out of time." Rey's hazel eyes were glassy with tears. "Forgive me, Ben." She whispered.
"Forgive you for what?" Kylo demanded.
Rey's arm shot out, her hand and fingers extended toward him as she unleashed the full power of the force on him. She saw his eyes widen in surprise at the sudden assault. He quickly extended his own hand, putting up his mental barriers, trying to keep her out of his head. But he wasn't aware of her true intent. She didn't want to see inside his mind, she already knew this part of his story. She needed him to see the future of his. Rey pressed her advantage, her brow furrowing, her teeth gritting together as she pushed against him.
A low hum vibrated around the interrogation room. Lights flickered erratically; the metal walls buckled in protest as the invisible energy flowing between them began to destroy everything close to them.
"Don't resist me, Ben. I don't want to hurt you." Rey cried out breathlessly. "But you need to see."
Kylo's arm was shaking with the effort to push Rey out of his head. Perspiration broke out on his brow. He felt hot, his heart was racing. And he was afraid. He was terrified. He didn't want to see what she had to show him. He was Kylo Ren. He had buried Ben Solo so deep that there wasn't a chance in hell he could ever be resurrected.
"Please, Ben." Rey was openly weeping now. She could feel him weakening under her onslaught. She hated forcing this on him. But she had no choice. He had to see. He had to be made to understand.
The consoles burst into flames around them. The vibrating hum became a wicked droning noise. It entered Kylo Ren's head, forcing him down to his knees in agony. His arm dropped to his side, his head bowing in defeat as Rey's power overwhelmed him. Images swirled around his head, followed by the feelings and thoughts that accompanied them. He covered his ears with his hands, clenching his eyes tight shut in an effort to ward them away.
But they kept on coming anyway…
"For many years, there was balance and then I saw Ben. My nephew with that mighty Skywalker blood. In my hubris, I thought I could train him; I could pass on my strengths."
Luke?
"Hey, kid, you sure this is the life for you? You do know there are other paths, right?"
Han Solo? Dad?
"I never…I didn't want this."
The agony in his young voice was disturbing.
"And you did not choose it, Ben."
Snoke!
"The Jedi did. Skywalker."
His teeth clenched together in anguish as he tried to stem the tide of voices, to stop the flow of images pounding in his head and crushing his heart.
"The Knights of Ren could be your first step on that path. They always seek powerful people to join their ranks. But be warned…. the price of admission is steep."
Snoke's cunning voice whispered in his head as he pushed him on his first steps toward the dark path.
"And when you called yourself by that new name, you saw the truth. It represents what you want to do on a deep level. The part of yourself that you want to cut away. The part you want to kill. Perhaps some day you will do it. The galaxy will hear that name and fear you."
Snoke again, praising him as he killed Ben Solo and rose up as Kylo Ren. He was afraid, so afraid.
"Use your fear. Let it crystallise into anger. Turn that anger into power."
So, he did. His anger was the driving force of his power. Kylo Ren's power.
"I feel cold, death, and more."
He was in torment. All. The. Time.
The dark waged a war with the light inside him. Constantly. Every waking breath was a battle. Every sleeping dream was a nightmare.
"Ben." A gentle hand touched his shoulder. "Ben."
He gripped the hand in his gloved fist, holding on so tight.
"Stop reliving the past, Ben. I need you to see the future."
He shook his head defiantly. But the future came anyway.
"The Droid we seek is aboard The Millennium Falcon. In the hands of your father, Ben Solo."
"He means nothing to me."
"Even you, Master of the Knights of Ren, have never faced such a test."
"By the grace of your training. I will not be seduced."
"We shall see. We shall see."
Snoke's sneering tone reverberated around his head as he knelt down deferentially before the Supreme Leader.
"We're getting closer now, Ben. Don't be afraid."
Her soft, gentle cadence pierced his fragile psyche. His grip on her hand tightened. His breath coming in quiet gasps.
"You're not alone." She whispered.
"I'm not alone." He echoed her.
"You still want to kill me."
"That's what happens when you're being hunted by a creature in a mask."
The words he had said to the young scavenger only moments ago, and her response, brought him back to the present. He raised his head, his confused gaze finding hers. She nodded her head subtly. He swallowed, staring at her as if she was his salvation.
"I'm sorry, Ben." She said sadly as a lone tear travelled down the pale skin of her cheek.
Kylo Ren sucked in a sharp breath as his vision went black. Even though he couldn't see her, he could still feel her close. He fumbled with the glove on his right hand, peeling it off like a snake sheds its skin. He felt the scavenger girl's fingers curl around his in comfort even as she continued to torture him.
Then…
"Ben!"
Han Solo's voice echoed around his head like a curse.
Kylo's vision cleared and he found himself advancing toward Han Solo along the walkway until only a space of a few feet separated them. It was the first time he had seen Han Solo since he was ten years old and been banished from his family to be trained by his legendary Uncle, Luke Skywalker.
"Han Solo, I have been waiting for this day for a long time."
The synthesized voice that came from under his black mask didn't seem to intimidate Han like he had hoped. It surprised Kylo just how much Han Solo had aged. In his mind he still pictured the vital young man of his youth.
"Take off that mask. You don't need it." Han yelled.
"What do you think you will see if you do?" Kylo taunted.
"The face of my son."
Kylo paused for a few tense seconds before setting off the secret mechanism inside of the mask. He lifted it over his head, revealing the human boy underneath, just like he had to the scavenger girl.
"Your son is gone. He was weak and foolish like his father. So, I destroyed him."
"That's what Snoke wants you to believe." Han said huskily, stepping toward him. His heavy boots echoed on the metal walkway as he moved. The wind whistled around them like a thousand ghosts. "But its not true. My son is alive."
"No." Kylo shook his head dismissively. "The Supreme Leader is wise."
"Snoke is using you for your powers." Han persisted. "When he gets what he wants he will crush you. You know it's true."
"Its too late." Kylo responded in barely a whisper.
"Its not too late. Come home. We miss you."
Han Solo's words affected him. As much as he wanted to bury the longing, it crept up on his heart, making him yearn to feel his father's strong arms around him, comforting him, nurturing him. Like he remembered Han doing when he was a very small boy, when the insidious voices kept him awake at night and he couldn't sleep. Before he was pegged as evil and Han became afraid of him.
"I'm being torn apart. I want to be free of this pain." It was Ben crying in anguish now as Kylo's mask slipped for a second. "I know what I have to do, but I don't know it I have the strength to do it." His lower lip quivered. "Will you help me?"
"Yes, anything." Han promised solemnly.
Kylo reached for his lightsaber and held it between them with both hands. Han put his hand on top as father and son stared at each other for a long moment. Then just like that the red plasma blade was activated, plunging straight through Han Solo.
"I'm sorry, Ben." The scavenger girl's voice came from far away. He held onto her hand like a life buoy as he stared in horror at the blade Kylo Ren had driven through his own father's body. "Hold onto me. Hold on." She pleaded. "It's almost over now."
Han's shaking hand reached for his face, the dying light from his eyes fixed solely on his son. Then the blade shut off and his body fell lifelessly into the endless void, taking Kylo Ren with it.
Ben opened his eyes to see Rey kneeling in front of him. The light from the burning consoles reflected off her dewy skin, her luminous eyes were full of sympathy… for him.
"I had to make you see, Ben." She said shakily. One hand hovered by his face. "I had no choice."
In the vision of the future she had forced on him he had just killed his own father, but she was still looking at him with compassion, like he was worth saving. He didn't understand. He was a monster.
"Who are you?" He asked again, his voice cracking under the strain. "Who are you, really?"
"My father was the son of the emperor." Rey explained tremulously. It stabbed at her heart having to admit this out loud. "Your mother was the son of Vader. We're a dyad in the force, Ben. Two that are one." Her hand landed on his cold cheek and she sighed. "I couldn't live with out my other half. I had to come back and save him."
A/N-thanks for reading!