The connection between them roars into life as if it has been waiting for an opportunity to pounce and she freezes in shock. Everything that makes Ben who he is comes rushing out of his kiss at her so fast, and so powerfully that she can only hang on until the storm has passed. His despair at her death following the Emperor's fall, the resolve with which he healed her, his surprise and pleasure at her kiss, and then the creeping sensation of cold as his death claimed him, these impressions are foremost in his mind. There is nothing else. He does not think of the trial, his time on the Obdurate, the Long Goodnight or Ajan Kloss – his last memory is more than a week old. She doesn't see his thoughts exactly, but something more primal and compelling, the passing of emotions through his consciousness, accompanied by a strong impression of the rightness of the connection itself, a sense of completion that belongs not to the message but the medium that carries it, the rare and unbreakable power of the dyad, two that are one once again.

She struggles to understand and the answer comes to her not in thoughts, but in feelings. Since she lost Ben the first time she hasn't felt right, and her behaviour has been out of character for her in so many ways. The sudden and irrational anger, the volatility, the impulsive decision making, the obsessive nature of her relationship with Ben's clone replacement, the increasing levels of internal conflict, even the way she has been holding her lightsaber recently, all these things are out of character for Rey Skywalker. She had thought this was the Palpatine side of her bloodline breaking though, but now she grasps the truth. These behaviours are out of character for Rey Skywalker, but they are not out of character for Kylo Ren, or for Ben Solo.

Ben gifted her his energy on Exegol, gave her everything, brought her back from death by sacrificing his entire life force, replacing hers with his. She was a dead shell, until he filled her up and made her whole again, and in so doing, had transferred everything he was into her. And that is how she has lived this last week, with Ben's life force buzzing around inside her like a caged insect, showing itself in flashes of temper and sudden mood swings, and she now suspects, thinking a bit harder, in a sudden liking for meat, an admiration for black uniforms and a love of leather gloves. She has not been herself, because this is the true power of the dyad, finally, this is what it means.

It is a power that transcends death, and she understands the words she thought she'd imagined as she stood there in the wreckage of the throne room – I will always be with you. She'd thought she'd heard him promise her that through the Force and she'd understood that meant he'd eventually manifest as a Force ghost and start haunting her when she least expected it. Now she sees that wasn't what he meant at all. She has always been part of a pair, part of two that are one and with Ben's death they had actually become one, a single being in body and spirit. This is why he has never appeared to her as a ghost – he was never really gone. She has been carrying him around inside her so close beneath the surface that even to the casual observer – even to a clone observer – there were clear parallels between her and Kylo Ren. Ben's clone had pointed this put on a number of occasions and she'd paid him no mind, but she sees now what he saw all along.

She and Ben were one, until just now, when she laid her hand on his chest, healed him and transferred his energy back. This is why she feels free – because the life force which has been contained inside her, an uncomfortable interloper in the end, is now back where it belongs. She can tell that this is the right answer, it has been at the back of her mind since she returned to Exegol, too strange to come to fruition until now.

She stares at him and she knows that Ben is there behind those eyes, the real Ben who has fought his way through a lifetime of poor decision making and an even more stupid death to be back at her side. He may be in a clone body but the connection between them has preserved his soul.

He can tell she has opened her eyes and as quickly as blinking, the bond cuts out as he severs it and drops his hand, releasing her lips in the same moment as a flush sweeps his face. She reads him more easily than any Jedi book; he thinks she doesn't want to kiss him, he thinks he has overstepped the mark. He rips his gaze away from hers and it falls to the floor, and fixes on a pair of shoes. He looks up, frowning as he scans the crowd, the unfamiliar faces, the guards. She has lived with him inside her, and she knows what he will do next. He is on his feet faster than anyone else can react, his hand patting at his sides for a weapon.

Hunting the room for the biggest threat his gaze lights on Finn, standing a couple of paces away, his presence in the Force shining brightly to Rey's tutored senses. 'You,' Ben hisses, flinging out a hand. 'Are always getting in my way.'

'And you,' Finn retorts, without being cowed in the slightest. 'Never know when to stay dead.'

'Finn!' Rey protests.

Finn looks around Ben's broad chest. 'You're still defending him? Despite what he is?'

'I'm defending him because of what he is.'

'I don't need anyone to defend me,' Ben cuts in. 'Particularly not from him.'

There is a barked command from somewhere further away and the remaining bystanders scatter quickly, leaving Rey and Ben in a circle of heavily armed Republic guards. Rey steps to Ben's side and despite her words she is prepared both to defend him, and defend against him, if he erupts. But he simply scans his surroundings until something across the courtroom catches his attention and he gives an audible gasp. He pales and his gaze drops. Rey sweeps the crowds and the face of Lando Calrissian jumps out at her, his expression fixed, his eyes burning. Then Ben straightens his shoulders, pulls in a steadying breath, and takes a few paces forward.

'Little starfighter,' Rey shoots out, although she really doesn't need any more proof, and Ben's stride falters.

When he glances back the look in his eyes is part pain and part determination. 'I have to apologise to him.' His empty hands twitch. 'Or something.'

But Ben doesn't get very far before there are soldiers blocking his path and Rey understands that the coming confrontation is so important he will not let anything stand in his way. Already he is tensing for a fight. She is next to him in a couple of steps and slips her hand into his. This breaks his concentration so effectively his forward momentum is halted and he looks down at her instead, while his fingers close around hers instinctively.

She is more familiar with intimate contact between them than he is, so she thinks nothing of pressing her body against his chest as she moves her free hand to cup the back of his skull, forcing him to bend his head. He seems to have no ability to resist but his eyes widen and a couple of spots of colour bloom on his cheeks.

She whispers into his ear, a breathy murmur so quiet she is sure no one else will hear. 'I love you,' she says. 'Trust me.'

Then she opens the link between them and attempts to show him, in feelings and images, all the things that have happened since he died on Exegol. When she is done she is nearly certain he hasn't understood any of it, because he has no questions, and just stands there watching her, with a smile on his face that grows so wide it changes his whole appearance. He comes alive as she watches him, he sparkles, and she feels the emotion glittering his heart – he is happy. He is so happy it lights him up and the impression is stronger than anything she ever saw from his clone, because this man has known the depths of despair, this man has lived a life in the shadows and now he steps into the light. His smile is wider, his happiness more acute, because of all he has endured to earn it. She can't help but smile back, just for a second, knowing as she does that they are not yet out of danger.

She nods back at the central podium he vacated a lifetime ago and he bends close. 'Is this a trial?'

Her head jerks in assent.

'Is this my trial?'

She nods again.

'Have I been found guilty yet?'

A shake of the head. 'You won't be found guilty. Just keep your mouth shut.'

The tension in him manifests itself in a straightening of his back and his chin comes up. She doubts that he is the sort of person who will obey such an instruction. Over her shoulder he scans the panel. 'That's the pilot, Dameron, I've met him before but he won't remember me fondly. The woman next to him is wearing the Firebird crest so she's more likely to find you not guilty than me. The third judge was on the New Republic Supreme Court, but I don't know her name. Do I have legal counsel?'

'You're running your own defence.'

'I haven't got a defence.'

'You do. You've just told them you're a clone.'

He rears back so that he can see her eyes more clearly, frowning in confusion. 'Your hair was wet and you had a blanket. I told you you weren't alone. No one else would know that. I'm not a clone.'

She rests her fingers against his chest, for no very good reason than she wants to. The cloth is dry and feels stiff and there is a slash a few inches long in it but beneath that his ribcage rises and falls with the smooth regularity of a person who is very much alive. 'I know that,' she murmurs. 'They don't.'

He glances down at her fingers, and when he looks up there is something dark and secret in his eyes, something that doesn't belong in a courtroom but he shutters it away quickly and steps back. It is two steps to the podium, which he mounts with a single stride and then he stands waiting, hands clasped loosely in front of him, his attention on the floating platform on which the judges sit. The audience realises first that the trial has resumed and there is an unseemly rush for seats. Although some people made it out of the room before the doors were closed the court is still over capacity and a large number of onlookers are forced to stand in the pit near Ben's position, but they seem overawed either by his resurrection or the ring of guards still protecting him and they press themselves back against the edge of the seating. He doesn't favour them with a glance, maintaining unbroken concentration on the judges' platform. They are still talking amongst themselves, although they are too far away for Rey to hear what they are saying. The third judge picks up a datapad and scrutinises the screen, seemingly unaware that the court is quiet again, and all faces are raised in their direction.

Ben continues to wait patiently, and another few seconds tick past, half a minute, more, and then he clears his throat noisily. 'What happens now?' he asks, in such a loud voice that Rey jumps. 'Do you talk first? Do I talk first?'

There is something about these words that makes Poe start as if he has been touched with a vibroblade and he sits forward in his chair, squinting down at the accused with his mouth open.

Ben squares his shoulders. 'What's the verdict? Am I guilty?'

Poe gives him a searching look, and then leans over to talk to the third judge, appearing to discount whatever it is that made him take note. She picks up the gavel and bangs it on the table.

'Court in session. This is highly irregular, but given the fact that someone has just attempted to murder the defendant right in front of me I will move to an initial verdict immediately. I have reviewed the evidence, and subject to a more thorough review and the receipt of independent reports from the cloning facility on Exegol, in my capacity as Chief Justice of the New Republic I find the defendant not guilty of all charges, except for that of masterminding the attack on Coruscant. I should stress that this verdict is not binding, and may be revoked should any additional evidence come to light during the period of the review. The defendant will be sentenced and will be obliged to live under certain restrictions while the court considers the evidence, but subject to your agreement to these restrictions you are free to go.'

She shoots a venomous look at Poe and carries on. 'I advise you to seek proper medical attention. And find a lawyer who can demand appropriate compensation for the inability of this court to protect you, and for the manifest abuse of due legal process represented by this trial.' She rakes the courtroom with a contemptuous glance. 'You will be the only person in this room who is free to go. Everyone else is now a suspect in the attempted murder of the defendant, and every one of you is guilty of contempt of court. No one leaves until you have all been interviewed, and until the weapon which was used to commit the crime has been matched with its owner.'

She sits back and nods at Poe, who glares back with undisguised anger for a second before seemingly remembering where he is. When he speaks, his voice is uncharacteristically sour. 'You have been found guilty and you are sentenced to house arrest for the period of one standard year. You will be released into the custody of Rey Skywalker and she will…'

He tries to carry on, but Ben holds up a pre-emptory hand and crooks a finger at Rey with a disgruntled expression, bending down so that he can complain directly into her ear. 'You're going by Skywalker now?'

She shifts uncomfortably. 'I didn't want to be a Palpatine.'

'And my uncle adopted you from beyond the grave, is that it?'

'Not exactly.'

He seems unwilling to let the subject drop. 'So, of all the names in the galaxy you just happened to choose that one?'

'I wanted to belong,' she mutters. 'Can you let him get on with the trial so we can leave?'

'And you belong with Luke more than you belong with me?' His tone has turned dangerous.

'No,' she huffs, lowering her voice with half a glance at Poe. 'Of course not. But you were dead, I couldn't take your name, it would have been… odd.'

'It should have been obvious, given what we are.'

'What are we?'

'Two that are one. With one name. Mine.'

'As far as I can tell, you haven't gone by your proper name for years,' she shoots back. 'Why's it so important now?'

His mouth moves and she thinks he may be grinding his teeth. 'Because you want to belong and I am never calling you Skywalker.'

She puts a bit of space between them so that she can read his eyes. 'Are you asking me to marry you?'

'Yes,' he answers, unsmiling. 'If that's the only way to get you to change your name.'

She opens her mouth to retort before she realises that she doesn't know what to say. She hasn't thought about this in any level of detail. Before he died the first time she had never once considered a future with him – if the Resistance won it was obvious he'd either be killed, or captured and put on trial, to be executed or exiled and there had never been any kind of future that had both of them in it. After he died, when she was with his clone she'd thought vaguely about a new life somewhere but she'd never imagined the practicalities long term. There has never been a long term before this moment.

Now she doesn't know what to say. She wants to be with him, but she isn't sure she wants to be married. Lots of people spend their lives in couples, but not many of them bother with the archaic tradition of marriage, and fewer still go to the trouble of taking their spouse's name. It is the ultimate act of ownership, in taking his name she would be showing to whom she belonged, and she isn't anyone's property. But something deep down quite likes the idea of a family name – that was one of the reasons she'd taken Skywalker in the first place. Something even deeper quite likes the idea of a family too, a sturdy little boy with dark eyes and a girl who can beat him at everything.

He is scrutinising her with the sort of fascination usually reserved for a new scientific discovery and she realises she hasn't spoken in quite a long time. The blood rushes to her face so fast she feels giddy and she is mortified to see that the red blush is spreading down her chest as well but he says nothing, and turns back to the trial. The connection between them gives her a throb of something warm and strong and aimed in her direction.

He makes a circling motion to Poe with his hand. 'Start that again, I wasn't listening.'

From his high chair Poe bristles and snaps out his lines. 'I said, you will be released into the custody of Rey Skywalker and she will be solely responsible for enforcing your compliance - '

'I will be released into the custody of Rey, who is currently reconsidering her choice of last name,' Ben corrects, in a voice which is unmistakeably smug. 'And I will obey her in all things.'

She raises an eyebrow. 'Really?'

'Probably not,' he admits, glancing over. 'But I'm very interested in seeing how you plan to enforce my compliance.'

He is enjoying himself, she realises with a start. Specifically, he is enjoying her. He is enjoying talking to her, arguing with her, being in the same room as her even, without there being lightsabers involved. There is something at the core of him which wasn't there before, she senses it inside him, something bright and shiny that he has grabbed with both hands.

'She will be solely responsible for your compliance,' Poe carries on reading with a scowl. 'You will not be permitted weapons, your movements and communications will be monitored and you will be required to remain resident here at the headquarters of the New Republic government until the year of your sentence is complete.' He leans forward. 'I'm going to keep an eye on you, my friend. A very close eye indeed.'

Ben's face goes dark and his good mood drops. 'Why should I agree to these terms?'

'Because you don't have a choice, that's your sentence. You've got no legal status, no right of appeal. You're a clone, you're nothing, unimportant. But your face has the potential to stir up trouble and there has already been one attempt on your life – it's clear to me that you need my help. You've shown that you can't protect yourself and I'm going to have to come running to your rescue if you're attacked again. I'd rather not have to run very far. Those are the terms. Accept them and walk away, or reject them and go back to prison.'

Rey can sense the anger howling in Ben, because it is the same anger she would feel in his place. His shoulders tighten and his dark eyes flash and then he looks in her direction, and puts it on a leash.

He shrugs stiffly. 'Fine.'

She covers her surprise quickly in case he notices it, but her admiration for his self control is increasing. Having lived with the turbulence of his emotions she is quite surprised at how easily he smothers them, given that they are always boiling just under the surface. He doesn't wait for Poe to gloat over his capitulation, Ben is off the podium and heading for the exit, while a line of Republic troops shields him from the public. He pauses when he is level with Lando and raises his head to meet the old man's glare but he doesn't say anything. Now is clearly not the time.

She summons her pack, catches up with him when he is stomping up the last few steps and they break through the double doors together, leaving the court behind. Ben pauses just over the threshold and casts her a glance. 'What happens now?' he asks.