Chapter 1

Rey was dazzled by the spectacle before her. She and her friends had traced Luke Skywalker's mission in finding a Sith Wayfinder to the planet Pasaana. What they didn't know was that they had arrived at the same time as an ancient festival known as Aki-Aki. This celebration only occurred every 42 years. Rey counted herself lucky to witness such an incredible event. She wandered around and soaked in everything going on. She was offered a necklace and wore it with pride, happy to be apart of the celebration.
Something changed at that moment, however. A familiar presence began making itself known to her through the special bond they shared. Rey looked around and moved towards the presence until she locked eyes with the man she searched for. Kylo Ren stood before her in a white room. She noticed that he was wearing his mask again, but saw that it had been welded together since he had smashed it to pieces. It had been a year since they had seen each other. A year since they had taken down Supreme Leader Snoke and his Praetorian Guards. She looked at him and felt a surge of many different emotions run through her about the man standing before her. Rey had thought about their last moments together and felt a little guilty at not taking Ben's hand. But it was Kylo Ren who had offered the hand, not Ben.
Kylo struggled to keep his emotions in check as he stared at the woman in front of him. He had not seen her in a year but hadn't stopped thinking about her since their last Force bond. His vulnerability in offering his hand to her never left his mind and he had wished that he had truly proved to her why she should have joined him. They both stood silently towards each other, no words needing to be spoken as they took each other in. There was a deep connection between them that each couldn't deny about the other, even if they disagreed on things. Kylo broke the silence without breaking his gaze.
"Palpatine wants you dead," he began, noticing how strong she was and how she didn't waiver at this words.
"Serving another master?" she asked, her eyes not leaving his.
"No. I have other plans," he replied. Kylo paused and looked at the ground for a moment. Through their bond, Rey could sense the feeling of longing. She was no stranger to this since it was the same longing that often filled her. Wondering what plans Kylo could possibly have for the Emperor, she waited to hear more from him.
"I offered you my hand once. You wanted to take it. Why didn't you?" Kylo asked with a softness to his voice that reminded Rey of how he spoke only to her. A tingle went down her spine as she was reminded once again of the moment Kylo referred to. So much transpired in that moment on Snoke's ship: Ben saving her by killing his master, the two working side by side to defeat Snoke's guards, Rey wanting to kiss Ben at the end of the battle...Her feelings for Ben Solo were so strong that she had to shake herself awake from the daydream to focus back on the masked man in front of her.
"You could have killed me. Why didn't you?" she asked, truly curious about his response. Rey had no idea at that moment as Kylo held his lightsaber in front of her that he would ever betray his master. Of course, she had figured that because their minds were connected, he had to keep it from her so Snoke wouldn't have been able to figure out the plan. That moment brought so much joy to Rey because Ben had chosen to stand with her. Kylo could feel Rey's emotions through their bond and couldn't help but smile at what he felt from her. She had the same feelings about him that he did about her. Stepping towards her, he shuddered at being this close to her after such a long time.
"You can't hide, Rey. Not from me," he spoke softly. He was now standing just a few feet from her and continued making his way towards her. Rey was thrilled by what he said and tried to hide her emotions from him, finding it difficult to hold her ground as well as keep her emotions in check. Her eyes traveled across his mask. It was artfully reconstructed but she found that it wouldn't be able to keep Ben Solo locked away.
"I see through the cracks in your mask. You're haunted. You can't stop seeing what you did to your father," she pressed on, trying to turn the conversation back towards him.
"Do you still count the days since your parents left? Such pain in you, such anger," he spoke, pushing past her comment. He was now standing just inches from her and looked down into her face. Rey looked back at him and she could feel their combined longing for one another. She didn't want to hurt him. He was the only person in the whole galaxy who was honest with her and made her feel like she had a home. She gazed up at him and wished she could just rip his mask right off so she could see the true man she had feelings for.
"I don't want to have to kill you. I'm going to find you, and I'm going to turn you to the Dark Side. When I offer my hand again, you'll take it," he purred, making Rey's spine tingle. Kylo truly didn't want to kill her. He felt such a deep connection with Rey that ran deeper than this bond they shared. Although he knew she had feelings for Ben Solo, he didn't think he was strong enough to be Ben Solo anymore. Since Kylo wanted to have her, he felt there was no choice but to turn her to the Dark Side with him. As he looked at her, his eyes moved down to her chest and noticed the necklace she was wearing. He had to admit it looked beautiful on her. Rey stared back at the man just inches in front of her, not wavering. "We'll see," she replied, not breaking her gaze. They stared at each other for a moment longer, sparks flying between them. Just then Rey was pulled out of her trace of staring at Kylo when he reached out and grabbed the necklace from around her neck. He held it tightly in his fist and the bond cut out, but not before Kylo noticed Rey run her hand up and down where the necklace had just been. Rey would not be hidden from him for long now.