Chapter 7: Stronger Than Hatred
Kylo carried Rey into the emergency room, panicking. Did she eat something bad? Who snuck poison into her food? He didn't even touch her, he just waved his hand and bam she was on the ground.
"What happened?" the doctor asked him as they wheeled passed out Rey into a room.
"We were arguing and she just passed out! I didn't even touch her or anything. She was just standing one moment and then she's not!" he exclaimed.
"Did she eat anything? Or take anything?"
"I don't know I…" He rolled his fingers over his face. "I don't know!"
"Sir, we're going to have to have you wait out here while we check on her. She seems to be in a state of sleeping but nothing is waking her up."
"Then find something that can wake her up!"
Kylo was pulled back by a nurse who told him to sit down on a chair and get some water. He watched through the glass doors as they looked over Rey, putting an IV into her arm, checking her eyes for any type of response, her heartbeat.
"Does she have any family we can contact?" the nurse asked in a gentle voice.
He shook his head. "No. She has no family. She has a roommate she just moved in with, and she lived with my mother for a while but no family."
It occurred to Kylo that he wanted to be Rey's family.
"Do you know anything about her?"
"Yes. Her name is Rey Niima. She worked at First Order Investments as my assistant. She looked sickly pale all week and tired and she had taken to eating a lot of mint chocolate and hadn't been eating the usual food she gets from Maz's so I assumed she got the flu or some sort of bug." He reached for his phone and with shaking hands called his mother.
"Ben?"
"Mom?" His voice was cracking. "Something happened to Rey. She's passed out and she's not waking up and I'm…"
"Oh, Ben. I will call her roommate then. Take steady breaths. I'm on my way."
He did as he was asked. "Thank you, Mom."
He waited. And waited.
Soon Leia was there, along with Rose.
Rose didn't say anything, only gave him a look of pity.
Leia sat down next to Kylo and put her hand on his.
"How is she?"
"She's still… Sleeping."
The nurse came over. "Are you her contacts?" she asked in her gentle voice.
Rose and Leia nodded.
"I'm her roommate," Rose said.
"I have some important information to disclose to you if you are considered trusted for Rey's care."
Leia nodded. "Shall we go and talk somewhere?"
Kylo sat in his seat, looking at his phone. He hadn't been to work all day and many emails needed to be answered before he had his weekly meeting with Snoke.
"You should be trusted Mom, Rose. It's fine. I'll stay here."
The nurse led the two of them to a more private area to talk while Kylo answered emails and sent a text-message to Amilyn.
I won't be in today. I'm at the ER with Rey.
Amilyn responded beyond fast.
Is she okay?
That was the golden question of the day.
I don't know.
Amilyn took longer to respond.
Rey was here the other day, late. I wonder if that had something to do with it.
He furrowed his brow. Rey was at the building past quitting time?
Kylo put down his phone for the time being as Leia walked back on over and she had a half-worn smile playing at her mouth. She sat down next to him and spoke.
"Rey is pregnant."
He dropped his phone on the floor.
It all made sense.
He made her feel like she was nothing. He made her feel that she didn't matter. He made her so scared she was going to run away with his child.
It had to be his child, thinking about the timing and their recklessness.
Kylo sat back in his too-small seat. "It's mine."
Saying it, claiming his impending fatherhood status did not make it easier to process.
Pregnant.
No wonder Rey was so tired. No wonder she was so stressed. No wonder she was craving sweets and stopped eating the greasy fare at Maz's during lunch. No wonder she felt warm and sick that night she was in his bed.
Kylo had no idea how to feel about all this, except even more guilt that he did something to her and now she won't wake up and that in turn put his child in danger. What a total fuck up of a father already and he just learned this news thirty seconds ago.
"Ben?"
His mother had to be happy. She would adore the hell out of her future grandchildren, a way to make up for her mistakes when he was a child. And she liked Rey.
"Are you okay?" Leia asked.
"I don't know. I'm scared Mom. I don't know if she'll wake up and what does that mean for the baby and…"
Could he be a father? He certainly wasn't cut out for it. He would be awful. He was clueless and never even considered the possibility because he was the biggest disaster on this side of the coast. Kylo Ren had enough emotional issues to fill several swear jars and now he was going to have to take on the needs, physical, and emotional, of a child who didn't ask for him to be their father.
But a part of him was happy. He liked the idea of Rey being the mother of his child. He liked the idea of caring for this little bundle of joy that he would watch grow and be loved because no doubt Rey would love the baby.
He loved it already.
Leia folded her hands, a pillar of patience. "Well, first you need to take a walk and process this with a clear head. Second, when she wakes up, you have a lot to talk about. And I would consider your career's involvement with your relationship with the child."
"Y-You're right," he said, standing up. "I should go. I'll be back soon."
With that, he left the hospital, taking a stroll around town. The wind was eerily quiet today, despite forecasts saying otherwise. Clouds still blotted out the sun, adding to his low mood.
This day was perhaps the worst in his life. By trying to prevent Rey from leaving, Kylo just puts her in a coma. Brilliant.
He walked to his old childhood home, the mayor's offices, the shops.
Maybe he could convince Rey to move back in with his parents for the baby. The house was big enough to house them. No way could Rey stay in a small apartment and raise a child, especially since he was certain to be around if she'd let him. He would make sure the child had a future, a trust-fund he would put away. His thoughts drifted to other needs, making sure Rey was healthy, for not just the baby, but her own well-being.
A life she had never known, a family she wanted. Kylo wanted to give her that family.
"Ren?"
He stopped in his tracks. Thinking too hard again, Kylo had wandered into Maz's and was face to face with Finn Storm.
"H-Hi," Kylo greeted, awkward and ready to about-face and go right back to sulking at the hospital.
But he had to suck it up.
"Mind if we um, have a chat?" Kylo said.
Finn raised an eyebrow. "Um, sure."
The two of them sat at the bar. Kylo ordered just plain water, his appetite for alcohol vanished. Not the time to have another breakdown, especially in public. He was already panicking over Rey and his future nameless child.
"Why are you here?" Finn asked, taking a sip of a beer, eying him with warranted suspicion.
Kylo stared at his glass of iced water. "You're Rey's friend, right?"
"Yeah. did something happen to her?" Finn's cautious tone turned to worry.
"She's… I don't know what happened to her. She's in the hospital, asleep. That's why Leia left early today. She might be in a coma from something but I just don't know."
"What did you do to her?"
Kylo didn't deny it. He deserved that blow. The nagging guilt came back again in full swing.
"I don't know. We were arguing and she collapsed. As far as I know, no bruises, no injuries. Not even a needle wound anywhere. They're running every test possible but she's not waking up. I'm sorry."
He turned his head to look Finn in the eye.
He wasn't angry, he seemed concerned more than anything.
"I'm sorry man."
"For what?"
"I mean, I cannot help but think it could have been worse if you weren't there."
Kylo blurted out the confession before he could process it. "But if I was there, I might as well shoulder the blame, considering my history."
"If you don't mind me asking then, how did your old man end up in a coma?"
Ah, the big question that he held no answers to.
Kylo breathed in and out, thinking long and hard.
Images of Han touching his cheek, a glowing red sword in his chest. Kylo knew he had put that there, but that made no sense. That doesn't cause a coma, that was a deathblow right there. He thought harder, and Rey's voice echoed in his head.
"Your father is alive, Ben. I thought you knew, but you deserve to know. It's not too late. It just isn't."
Where the hell did that come from? Was he just really going insane? Or… Maybe he had met Rey before and he repressed that memory in his mind. It happened before. It had to. Deep down he knew it was true.
Kylo knew Rey somewhere, a time long ago.
"I don't know," Kylo confessed. "I truly don't know. My mind probably repressed the memories due to trauma."
The red blade in his memory didn't line up with Han's condition. Frustration took over. He turned the conversation towards something else to temper his thoughts for now.
"I know Snoke lied to you," Kylo said. "I have access to his records if you would like."
Finn was flabbergasted. "What?"
"I know you left because of empty promises and Snoke's cruelty. I can get you the records of your parents."
"I… You would do that?"
"I know I've done many terrible things, and I may have harmed Rey in some way, but I want to make at least one thing right."
Finn ran a hand over his chin in thought, taking another sip of his beer. "Once Rey wakes up then." His mouth twitched into a half-smile. "You'll need your assistant to help you find those records."
Kylo's phone vibrated in his pocket.
A text from Snoke.
Meeting. Ten minutes.
Kylo slumped against the cragged walls of his prison. His tears had long dried out. Rey was… He couldn't even put the thought into full coherency.
Even though his soul was being torn apart, his sixth sense numbed to nothing, he refused to believe that Rey's sunshine and fire were extinguished. Denial was one of an addictive feeling to cling to.
His voice was hoarse from his shouting and crying.
Kylo wondered what Snoke was going to do next. How long would it be, until Kylo was free from the chains binding him down? Until he was old and grey and he could finally feel Rey in the Force again? Or would he outlive his usefulness long before then, meeting his own end in misery and torture for the sake of it? How many more atrocities would he be forced to commit?
He would die behind these walls, never seeing his mother, his father, or the love of his life, ever again.
Footsteps in the halls he ignored in favor of wallowing in his thoughts.
With the jingle of keys and the click of the lock, Kylo knew the door opened. His captors ready to bring the sledgehammer of pain back in full blast through the Force.
"Come on kid, you need to get going."
A warm hand on his shoulder and he jerked his head up to see the eyes of Han Solo, who smiled.
There was perhaps a word out there that described everything Kylo was feeling as he saw his father once again. But there wasn't as far as he knew. Everything swirled together in confusion, guilt, regret, happiness, relief, awe, and love.
"D-Dad?" Kylo said, his stinging eyes watering again. "Why are you here?"
"We're getting you out of here so get moving," Luke grumbled in the back.
A sharp annoyance and anger flooded Kylo at the memory of that fateful night, but he put that aside for now. Han reached out his hand to Ben and he took it, standing up on unsteady legs.
He saw Chewie standing with the keys in hand. Luke was busy looking around the corner for any guards coming.
"Chewie," he said with disbelief. Everything did not make sense. His father and his uncles were here, coming back for him.
Chewie gruffed on about how Leia sent them to rescue him and she cannot wait for them to go home.
Home.
To his mother.
"I don't know what to say," Ben said. "I… But why?"
"Because you're the only one who knows where Rey is," Luke said. "And she was right."
Kylo snorted. "Of course she is. Rey is always right."
Han patted his shoulder. "Come on kiddo. You need to go save your princess. Leia told us that she felt something go wrong and well, none of us know where the hell she is."
Taking a deep breath, Ben Solo left behind Kylo Ren in the cell, and stepped back into the world, feeling everything beneath his feet, in the air, in the flames of the torches, the strong Force-presence of his uncle, the even strong presence of Snoke in the castle, and the emptiness left in his soul by Rey's absence.
They made quick and light steps down the hallways, Ben still convinced this was a fever dream out of his depression and he would wake up any day now and be back in his cell in mourning.
Chewie muttered directions through the pipes and out over the lake.
Han and Luke looked down.
"You jump first?" Luke said to Han.
"You jump first Luke, you have that crazy magic shit."
Ben rolled his eyes. "While you wait for Snoke's underlings to come and throw you into a Force-suppressing cell, I'm going to jump and swim to shore and find Rey."
So he jumped off the pipe and into the lake. His cape dragged him down, but he was too stubborn to drop it as he swam and swam.
Chewie nagged the two old men before following Ben.
When the four reached shore, Ben gasped for air. He couldn't stop though. He barely took a break from being waterlogged before he was searching the Force for any sign of Rey. He couldn't feel her, which indicated one thing, but he was still on the high of denial.
"I need to find her," he huffed out. "I need to."
Han grabbed him by the shoulders. "You're not going to find her if you kill yourself first Ben."
Chewie said something about how they left their horses in the woods.
"Then I will take a horse, I will find her. I don't know how but I will, even if I can't feel her."
Luke sighed. "You are definitely Han's son."
Han beamed.
"You're an idiot, you know that?"
Leia's voice carried through the hall.
Rey blinked, looking down at her hands. She was translucent and white as a ghost. Was she… Dead?
No, that wasn't quite right. It was something else. She wasn't dead. All she remembered was Ben's hand near her temple and the world went dark and now she was standing in a hospital, like a ghost.
She looked behind through the glass door. On a bed, propped up, was her own corporeal body, resting peacefully, not a single scratch on her. So nothing hurt her. She should have considered that Ben maybe did some harm, but she didn't think so. Well, physically anyways. Emotional harm was a different story.
Rey turned back to the source of the voice.
Leia sat next to someone, a man with tawny color among grey hair.
"Why am I the idiot?" the man said, mild hurt in his tone.
"Because you told your nephew to keep secret from me that you were staying in his house because your entire property was repossessed by that jackass Snoke," Leia said simply.
Wait, what?
Luke turned pink and looked away. "I failed your son, and now you would think I failed our parents' legacy."
Leia rolled her eyes. "Do you honestly think I give a fuck about legacy? All I need to know is if my brother is safe and has a roof over his head and a steady paycheck."
Rey found herself believing and clinging to every word Leia said. Leia was truthful and blunt, so there was no way what she was saying was lies.
A sort of glee filled Rey at the implications before horror sank into her gut. She came to the very, very wrong conclusion about Ben and threw it into his face. The idiot, self-loathing as always, didn't even deny it.
Rey decided to walk around, finding she could walk through walls on a whim. This was so strange and surreal to her like she was in a horror ghost movie.
She walked through the town, spotting Ben sitting and talking to Finn of all people before he looked at his phone and made a swift exit from Maz's.
While she followed him—because what else was she going to do—she noticed something on his phone over his broad shoulder. It was his bank transfers.
A convenient payment of the extra $600 rent Rey was to owe was on that list for a split second. When she woke up she was wondering if she should slap him or kiss him. Or both.
Well, if she woke up. She wasn't sure about the current logistics on that one. This was some extreme displacement dreaming she was having, yet so real. She was walking by the side of Ben until he got into his overly expensive shiny Silencer and drove to First Order Investments.
She continued to follow, intent on seeing where Ben's mysterious meetings took place.
It was weird standing in the elevator of First Order Investments next to Ben, unable to speak to him. She waved her hand in front of his face and he shivered slightly, closing the buttons on his suit jacket. Huh.
He stepped out on the third floor and went into Snoke's office. The whole place was darkened, the blinds leaving little grey lines across the office. Many black cabinets were holding various priceless objects on display. She shuddered, not wanting to look at Snoke's ugly face again.
She tried to listen to what was being said, but all she could focus on was a glass display case with a sword resting inside. Somehow she knew it from somewhere.
Ben said something in a raised voice, which made her jump. Then something about her baby was mentioned and she on raw instinct put her hand to her still-flat belly.
And then she knew why she was like a ghost. Her slumber was not going to protect her baby, so some cosmic mythical power decided that she could protect her child in this way. She had no idea why she knew this other than instinct. Something inside just knew.
Rey reached out with her hand towards the glass cabinet. Her fingertips graced the cool glass and she reached for the small latch at the corner, opening it slowly.
The blade was like something she saw in a dream, once upon a time.
Ben was on a black stallion, trotting through the woods, a great enough distance from Snoke's domain. That empty feeling in his soul remained, gaping and wide. He had no idea where he was going, or if he would ever find Rey.
"You might want to take a moment to meditate," a voice, full of underlying mischief, spoke to his side.
He dropped his reins and looked over. Standing by a thick, gnarled tree, was a man with a knowing smirk on his face. His robes were of the old ways, and a blue glow enveloped his entire translucent form.
Ben furrowed his brow. "Who are you?"
"Your grandfather of course."
All the air left his lungs. "What?"
Anakin Skywalker shrugged. "What kind of a grandfather am I if I don't help my grandson?"
Ben decided not to question his presence anymore. "How could you help me?"
"Well, meditation might help for one."
Ben took a deep breath. Meditation was relaxing, but he was out of practice for years now. "And?"
"Well, you and Rey are two souls intertwined together, right? Just because you cannot feel her now doesn't mean the link is entirely gone."
"How wonderfully vague," Ben muttered.
Anakin walked over with a wry smile and put a hand on his arm. Ben felt the ghost of a touch, but Anakin wasn't there.
"Do what I could not, Ben. Save the woman you love."
With that, Anakin was gone, and Ben was alone once more.
He breathed in and out, closing his mind off to everything except him and the Force.
A thread, thin, stretched to its limits, muddled by distance, was there, inside, outside, tying his soul to hers.
The love of his life.
The one who reached out to him and whispered something he had no business believing for a long time.
It took a while, but when he opened his eyes, that thin thread was still there.
He grabbed the reins and urged his horse forward as fast as they could go.
"I will find you, Rey. I will come back for you," he whispered, trying to hold onto that thread as best as he could with his words.
Kylo sat himself down in his usual spot at Snoke's office. Was it him, or was there a draft in here?
Rey was here, she had to be. Something was said to her that spooked her into running away if it wasn't the fact Kylo knew he was an ass with his life crumbling to pieces.
"Your assistant quit this afternoon so soon. She didn't even make it the two-weeks notice," Snoke said, pouring bourbon into a glass as per usual.
Images of Snoke, more deformed and more malicious, flashed through Kylo's mind. He had never liked what Snoke did to people, and Kylo felt the guilt yet again settle in that he had let it go on for so long.
"Why did she quit?" Kylo said, trying to keep his tone neutral and disinterested.
"Who knows. She was a troublemaker, being nineteen and all. How she got hired in the first place I do not know. Maybe Miss Holdo should be fired for her incompetence."
"Maybe," Kylo said, taking a moment to ponder his next statement. "Something drove Miss Niima away." He glanced at one of the cabinets, seeing the display of a very, very familiar looking sword. He knew the details of it like the back of his hand. Its main pommel was unstable, the crossguard shredded as if blasted with something.
"The details of her departure do not matter. You don't need her stirring the pot and spilling the grease all over your feet. Bad reflection on your reputation and our company."
Kylo clutched the arm of his chair. "Ah yes, because our company's reputation isn't already stained with oil and greed."
Snoke looked at him, leaning over the thick black wood desk with a glare. "Don't you dare slander my company boy. I took you in when no one gave a damn about you. And I own your paycheck."
"And I owned Rey's. Cut the fucking shit," Kylo's voice rose higher and he did not care. "What the fuck did you say to her? She was here yesterday and suddenly she left without a word over the town line." He was standing, shaking. "Is it because of her pregnancy?"
Snoke glared. "You're accusing me of—"
Kylo was shaking with rage. The rage he had tempered down months ago was in full swing. Memories, flashes of a life once was, of abuse and isolation melded together and one thing was for certain, the sword, in that glass case, was his. "Yes, I am accusing you of verbally abusing the mother of my child, because I endured it for all these fucking years from you."
What was that thing he tugged upon before? He could use it right now.
Because his dreams, his kisses with Rey, his love for her, his protective instincts, they were all real.
The case was open.
Kylo flexed his fingers and the sword shuttered in its hold.
"You're defending that slut for what reason? How do you know it's even your kid. I saw her with other men," Snoke spat.
Kylo rolled his eyes. "That was the most pathetic attempt to tear me away from her. Do you honestly think I'm stupid enough to fall for that? And you still haven't answered my question, what did you fucking tell her?"
The sword shuddered again. If he could just concentrate more, unleash the fury in his being, it would be in his hand.
Snoke grinned, slime, and malice laced together. "She deserved to know that her orphan status and penniless existence would never win you over. That she could never be anything in this town, not with a child on the way."
The sword broke out of the glass and Kylo Ren had it in his hand, vigor, and power flowing in his veins. "She is not nothing!"
He backed away, noticing the twinge of fear and shock on Snoke's face.
The sword was glowing white in the dimly lit room.
"I know who you are," Kylo said.
"And I know exactly who you are. A child with no control, who led his father to near-death! I have eyes and ears everywhere, boy. You will never see that stupid girl or your child as long as I have the power in this place!"
"No, you see," Kylo looked at the white blade in his hand, "I have more power than you know. Stay the fuck away from Rey."
Kylo walked out of the room, making a mad dash to the elevator with panic and adrenaline rushing to his head, making him dizzy. He winced, more images of memories from the past shaking him.
He got a text.
I have ears everywhere, even at the hospital.
"Damn it," he hissed, scrolling through his contacts for his dad's number.
Rey was being held.
So warm and strong and she could smell him, wooden and familiar.
Reaching for his hand on her abdomen, the world came into more clear focus. Her eyes opened and it was him, the love of her life.
He came back for her.
Rey wasn't alone anymore. She sat up in his arms and smiled. "Ben," she said.
And oh, his reciprocating smile. It was dazzling and captivating, like stars on a clear night. Tears ran down his dimpled cheeks in joy.
"Rey," he said in response. "I thought I lost you forever."
She reached up with her hand and rubbed her thumb over his cheek, her finger trailing over his scar, the one she had put there with her own sword. He shuddered under her touch, and it warmed her heart and made her giddy. To think, this big brooding man who crushed his enemies would be brought down by a small scavenger like her.
"You think death is going to prevent me from telling you that you're my idiot and I love you?" Rey teased, before leaning forward and kissing him.
Oh, his mouth was made for kissing. Soft and warm and encompassing. He kissed her back, so softly, clutching her close as to not let her get away.
She broke the kiss for sweet air, desperate to do it again. She continued to stroke his cheek.
"Marry me," he breathed out. "Please."
Rey tilted her head with a quirk of her eyebrow. This man's passion never ceased for one minute. "Ben, how long have we known each other?"
"Long enough," he said. "I love you, Rey. I don't want to waste any more time." He pressed his forehead to hers. "Not for one more second do I wish to be apart from you. So I ask you for the second time, in more eloquent terms," Rey giggled at that, "Will you marry me, Rey?"
She tackled him with a hug, kissing his lips and all over his face. "Yes," she whispered. "I will marry you."
He chuckled, and it was the most melodious laugh she had ever heard.
They walked through the woods together, the horse following their leisurely pace. She held his hand, refusing to let go, leaning her head on his shoulder.
"There is the issue of Snoke," Rey said. "He's still alive, isn't he?"
Ben stroked her hair. "Yes, but, we're stronger together. And you have your staff."
She hummed, content. "I do."
"It's violet."
She smiled wider. "Yes indeed."
"Doesn't that mean you're touching the dark side? What would Luke think?"
"Let the old grump keep his opinions on the dark side," she said. "I know who I am, and the dark side is a part of me, just as the light is a part of you." She stopped them so she could reach for his other hand. "And I love all of you, Ben Solo." She inched up on her tip-toes, pressing a feather light-kiss to his lips.
"I don't think I will ever be used to that," he said, squeezing her hands. "I love kissing you."
He chased her lips, releasing her hands to cup her cheek and entangle into her loose hair.
Rey laughed and giggled between kisses before eventually they slowed, Ben pressing one more to her forehead and whispering in her ear.
"I cannot wait to show you how much I love you, body, and soul," he said, her spine shuddering in pleasure.
"I cannot wait," she whispered back, her arms around his neck.
Then she remembered something important. "Can I see your sword?" she asked.
Ben released her from the hug and reached for it without a second thought.
Rey pressed her hand to where the kyber crystal laid, hearing Ben's soft gasp. The kyber crystal was crying, pained, and cracked.
"I want to repair your kyber crystal," she said. "Please? You're not Kylo Ren anymore."
"But I—"
"Don't you dare tell me you don't deserve it, because you do. Everyone deserves a chance to heal from their pain." She grasped the very heavy sword and sat down on the grass, tugging at his dramatic cape for him to sit down with her. She reached for his hand, placing it over the kyber in the pommel, before covering his with both her hands. Rey poured her thoughts into it, how she fell for the boy who sat across from her in a small hut, giving her comfort in a storm of loneliness. How she panicked and raced off to save him from his captors. How she loved him, with all of who she is. A simple scavenger on the edge of a desert wanting to love and be loved.
Ben was shaking, so she held him steady.
When she opened her eyes, he was crying. She released her grasp and let him take the blade in hand.
She expected red.
Instead, it was white.
Purity. Healing.
The glow wasn't unstable anymore.
"T-Thank you," he said, staring at his weapon anew. "Thank you, Rey."
She smiled. "You're welcome, Ben."
This was, perhaps, the most reckless shit Kylo Ren ever did in his life.
More reckless than… Well, he didn't have an apt comparison to draw from how everything was bleeding together. A life in a forest, in a castle, where he once clashed blades with Rey, mixing with his lonely life as a soulless businessman.
He was driving with a stolen sword in his trunk. Snoke could have called the sheriff on his ass by now, but Kylo really could give less of a fuck. Rey was in danger. His child was in danger.
In the back of the hospital's parking lot, was Han's Ford Falcon. Chewie was in the back with a big blanket in his thick burly arms.
He got out and popped the trunk open and gestured for Han and Chewie to come over.
"What's this?" Chewie asked.
Kylo swallowed. "It's a sword. I stole it from Snoke."
Han raised an eyebrow before laughing. "You are fucking crazy Ben."
Kylo shrugged, grabbing the blanket out of Chewie's hands. "I know. Where's Mom?"
"She had to go back to work, but Rose is still here."
"Great, her roommate hates me. I have to ask you a favor because I'm going to try to sneak this sword into the hospital."
Han blinked. "You really are fucking crazy kid."
Kylo wrapped the blade in the blanket. "I need to protect Rey and your future grandchild and I trust no one else to come up with a distraction."
"Whoa wait what? She's pregnant?" Han said, jaw dropped.
Chewie laughed. "Didn't think you would get some but here we are."
Kylo rolled his eyes but smiled. "Me neither." he picked up the sword all wrapped up in a large bundle. "Please Dad, I need to get to her and I can't if I have the hospital security on my ass."
Han shook his head but grinned. "You're really my son, aren't you?"
"I would hope so considering my last name is Solo."
The plan in short was simple. Han and Chewie would distract the single security guard and receptionist while Kylo snuck past with the blanket into the ER and prayed that he didn't run into Rose.
Perfect.
What could go wrong?
Han chatted up the security guard, asking about how to unlock his new phone that Leia got him.
Chewie led Kylo down the hall to the back of the ER where Rey's room was. She was resting comfortably on the bed, chest still rising and falling with steady breaths. He choked up at the sight through the glass.
She still hasn't woken up.
The nurse walked up to them.
"You're the man who brought her in, right?"
Kylo nodded. "Yes. How is she?"
The nurse bit her lip and his heart sunk. "She has made no reaction to waking up. We are going to run a scan on her brain, but there are no indications of toxins in her system that might have done this. She may not ever wake up."
"Thank you," Kylo said, his heart aching.
Chewie nodded. "Go to her, kiddo."
He walked into the room, moving behind the curtain and drawing it for privacy and leaning the sword against the side table.
"Rey," he whispered, placing a gentle hand on her cheek. "Please wake up."
He sat there for a while, gently shaking her until he was in tears.
"Rey, you need to wake up. I can't… I can't leave things like this. I can't. You've made me into a better person, you've made me talk to my parents, you've given me freedom. We've done so much and you probably don't even remember." he half laughed the last part out. He reached for her hand and another memory came back.
"Don't leave me, Ben," her voice echoed.
He stroked her hair, kissing her knuckles. "Rey, I'm so sorry. I think… No, I do remember my promise to you. I will always come back for you, because I love you."
With that, he trusted his instincts once more. The feeling he tugged upon, the one that caused this mess in the first place, pushed him to lean over her, nose brushing hers.
And the briefest touch of lips, full of all the love he had to give, ignited a spark that turned into an explosion.
The world came to a stop, and the Force was singing.
Ben pulled away, his heart pounding in his ears, still grasping Rey's hand.
Nineteen years had come to an end at last.
The guilt lifted from his shoulders.
Relief.
Freedom.
It felt as if everything happened yesterday when the curse was cast.
He felt her squeeze his hand and he looked back at her lovely face, still beautiful as always.
Her eyes opened and she smiled at him. "I love you too, Ben."
Ben was a full-on waterfall of emotions today, for his tears were renewed and he couldn't stop himself from hugging her.
"I came back sweetheart," he whispered. "Just like I said."
Rey giggled, hugging him back. "I missed you."
When the tight hug ended, Ben placed his hand on her abdomen and breathed in and out. A spark of life in the Force, a tiny little star among a constellation.
"Well," Rey said. "When the curse broke I didn't expect to be uh, pregnant."
Ben laughed. "My only regret was how we ended up creating them. Though," he kissed her cheek, lovingly stroking her stomach. "It was pretty hot, and I would like a repeat performance."
She lightly slugged him in the arm. He deserved that. "Can we ditch the emotionally distressing part though?" Rey asked. "I could do without your disaster issues."
"Do you forget, sweetheart, that I am a disaster?"
"You're my disaster. And the father of my child. But we can still work on your disasterness, Prince Ben Organa-Solo."
He kissed her. Again, and again, and again.
He would have pushed her down and let his fingers on her belly travel farther down between her thighs had his damn father not walked in.
"Oh now you're awake, the both of you," Han exclaimed in exasperation. "I was wondering when you were going to break this stupid curse."
Rey laughed. "Hi, Han."
Ben pouted, mentally cursing his father out for cock-blocking him.
The daylight in the room dimmed, and Ben turned his head towards the window.
Purple smoke came with a roar, faster than a typhoon. He reached for Rey's hand.
"Ben?" Rey sat up and looked outside behind her, squeezing his hand in fear.
His free hand reached for his sword and he prepared himself for what was left to come. The curse was broken, and now the last of the words he had written were falling into place.
"What the fuck is that?" Han demanded, the smoke rolling over them, choking the remnants of daylight out.
They were caught before they could reach Alderaan's borders.
Rey was on her knees in the courtyard, hand-bound with chains that suppressed her connection to the Force. Even though Ben was next to her, it was terrifying not feeling him in the Force.
Snoke in his slimy glory approached, the Knights of Ren holding the both of them steady.
"I should have just killed you instead, young Solo. You have too much of your father's heart within you. And now, by some miraculous miracle, the nobody scavenger is alive despite all odds."
Ben smirked. "Well, I never liked to hear the odds anyways."
Snoke sneered. "The dark side is wasted on you. You could have been the most powerful, the perfect heir to Darth Vader! But you wasted all of it for a girl."
The cocky grin remained on Ben's lips. "I mean she is the most beautiful and powerful girl I've ever seen, so it seems like a worthy trade."
Snoke backhanded Ben across the face.
Rey struggled against her bindings. "You're the real monster!"
Snoke turned around and gestured to a cauldron, pulling out a scroll.
"No…" Ben whispered.
Rey looked to him, and his face drained of blood as he stared in wide-eyed horror at the unfurled scroll in Snoke's hands.
"Do you know what this is?" Snoke said. "It is a curse. I prepared everything, save for one crucial ingredient. See, it requires one to sacrifice the one you love most, and I do not love. Love is weakness."
"I don't know, I bet the curse would accept narcissists as sacrifices too," Rey muttered, making Ben stifle a chuckle.
Snoke ignored the remark. "Once I make you sacrifice the girl, you'll be all alone in perpetual misery, where there is no going back to your family who loathes you, where there is no escaping. You'll forget everything about your life here, an apprentice untainted by love and kindness."
Rey understood Ben's horror now. It was, perhaps, the most despicable plan she had ever heard. Rey would die, Ben would forget, and be trapped in his own personal hell for all eternity.
"Bring them to the cauldron," Snoke ordered. "If you do not sacrifice her, then I will torture her for all eternity while you watch."
Being dragged up the steps by the Knights, Rey looked over to Ben. His eyes were rimmed with red, but he wasn't crying. He refused to cry.
Rey couldn't hold back, however.
Snoke zapped Ben with lightning to get up from the steps and perform the sacrifice. Rey cried out, her heart aching.
His hands were shaking with the chains. He gazed into her eyes, reaching up to cup her face.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I truly am."
She sniffled, a lump in her throat. "Ben…"
He tucked her hair back behind her ear before putting his hands down, near her chest, right where her heart rested. Dark magic, she had heard, required the hearts of people, literally, and this curse was no exception.
Instead of ripping her heart out though, Ben turned and threw something in his hand right into the cauldron and it crackled with lightning.
"You fool!" Snoke yelled.
Rey elbowed the knight holding her. Ben used his limited movement to latch onto the other knight and flipped them over his head, reaching for the keys and breaking free.
Snoke fired more Force-lightning at the two. Ben tossed the keys at Rey and reached out with his hand to counteract with his own lightning from his finger-tips.
Rey scrambled to get the keys into place to unlock her hands. Once free, she held out her hand and pulled her staff to her, the violet glow bleeding into the smoke billowing from the cauldron.
Lightning frayed at Ben's arm, causing deep flesh wounds. Ben stood his ground, angling the lightning away until the connection cut and both were reeling.
"Rey! Cover me!" Ben shouted to her, grabbing his sword and looking over the cauldron.
Snoke fired lightning again at her, but she caught it with her staff. Her feet slid across the ground from the raw power. She focused on the Force.
Ben was holding his hand out in concentration.
Rey, you're not going to like this, Ben thought to her.
What do you mean?
This curse Snoke intended to cast, I have to cast it myself to prevent Snoke from getting as much control as he has. It's already activated, I cannot stop it now.
What?
It's a curse that will send everyone to a place where there are no happy endings, trapping all of us in a time that never moves. All of our memories will be wiped, and our lives will be in fractured relationships, never once getting happiness without a trade. I found this underneath his throne so I altered it so only I could cast it, but it's only half working because Snoke did most of the spell already.
The lightning continued to surge. Rey ignored Snoke's mockery and insults, focusing on looking at Ben out of the corner of her eye.
What… What does this mean? Ben?
He gave her a sad smile, still keeping his hand over the cauldron. It means Rey, that I have to make the ultimate sacrifice. I altered the curse's terms so it only required a lock of hair of the one I love most, and perform a personal sacrifice of my own choosing. I sacrifice control over my life, just so we have a fighting chance to finish what we started.
Rey pushed back, tears brimming her eyes. Whether it was from the effort or from her impending sorrow, she wasn't sure.
Ben, no…
I'm sorry Rey. You're our fighting chance. The curse is sending you away from me.
No! I won't be separated from you. I can't… You're my family. A single tear dripped down her cheek. The family I've always wanted.
Rey directed the lightning back towards Snoke, sending him flying against the wall. Ben had grabbed onto her and steadied her, still holding his sword in hand.
"I know Rey," Ben said, his voice choked up. "I had to do this. If he had cast the curse before I found it, none of us would be able to survive."
Rey shook her head. She couldn't believe this was happening. He was being torn away from her all over again. "Please don't leave me," she cried into his chest. "I can't… I'm not strong enough…"
Ben stroked her hair. She heard lightning in the distance.
"You're the strongest person I know. It kills me, knowing you'll be on your own again because of my mistakes, my foolishness. I will carry the guilt as penance." He held her, for the very last time. "After nineteen years, we'll see each other again, even if you won't remember me and I won't remember you."
"Ben…" She clung to him. "I will hold you to that promise."
Snoke had gotten up, knocking the two to the ground, but no Force could pull them apart.
"You're too late, Snoke!" Ben yelled. "Guess you didn't do your reading. I altered it to protect the ones I love. Good luck with the loop-holes."
Rey cried and cried until her eyes were raw. Guilt emanated off of Ben, ashamed for what he had done, for what he had created and subjected her to.
Nineteen years was a long time.
The smoke of purple enveloped the two in a swirling hurricane.
"I will come back for you, sweetheart. I promise."
The last memory Rey had was the warm embrace of Ben Solo's arms.